Shantae: An Unexpected Adventure
by CJFFs
Summary: Shantae Characters x Male Reader. Smut/Lemon You had just arrived at Scuttle Town to start a new life. However, you run into some speedbumps and are in need of some money. So when a certain half-genie offers to take you along on a treasure hunting adventure, who are you to refuse? And who knows where this adventure will take your relationship...
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

_Finally._

I leaned over the railing of the ship, looking directly towards the horizon. Scuttle Town was within my view now. After months of traveling and spending all of my money, I finally made it to Sequin Land. I came here to start a new life. Probably as a fisherman or something. I wasn't sure yet, but I was sure that a change in settings would help me get back on my feet.

After we arrived at the dock, I stepped off the ship and thanked the Captain. He was already headed here and offered to give me a ride if I simply gave him some hat I found elsewhere. Sequin Land was definitely a stranger place than where I was from. Far nicer, that's for sure. From where I'm from, you would have to pay a lot of money to even be able to step on somebody's ship. Then again, there aren't nearly as many dangerous creatures there than here.

Still, that wasn't about to stop me. I gave up everything to get here. And _nothing_ is going to stop me from finding whoever's in charge and getting settled in Scuttle Town.

That was, until I spotted the bath house. Just hearing the sound of clean, rushing water suddenly made me much more tired than I even realized. Probably because the entirety of my trip just caught up to me just then. Regardless, I made my way in and took a look around. I spotted the large bathing pool located at the center of the floor. There were a few people relaxing along the side benches. I was amazed at how serene the place was, with no noise other than the sound of the waterfall.

Before I had a chance to take it all in, I was quickly greeted by a woman.

"Hello, and welcome to the bath house!" She greeted enthusiastically. I figured her to be working there.

"Oh, hello.." I answered short handedly. I was a little caught off guard, to be fair to myself.

"Hmm...I haven't seen you around. Are you visiting?" She asked curiously. I rubbed the back of my neck and answered, "Well, I'm hoping to permanently reside here..just arrived ten minutes ago, in fact."

"Oh, that's wonderful! But you must be so tired! Feel free to take your time to relax! The water will rejuvenate your vigor and fill you with energy. And if you want to know any tips about Scuttle Town, just ask." She said, quickly handing me a towel before I could even answer.

I was a little surprised. "Wait, so I don't have to pay you or anything?" I asked. I wasn't used to anything being free at all.

"Well, yeah. Why would you?" She asked, tilting her head as though I just asked a ridiculous question.

Man. I _love_ Sequin Land.

I thanked the friendly woman and approached the water. I then started to undress. Admittedly, I was a little timid about it. Everyone else seemed so comfortable being naked, but I wasn't used to that. Still, the water was practically calling my name, so not even a little shyness was going to stop me.

I wrapped the towel around my waist for the time being and folded my clothes neatly, setting them on a bench right beside my knapsack. I looked down at them, and I realized just how outlandish they must have seemed to everyone else. Although Scuttle Town did seem to have a variety of fashion choices, from ornate belly dancer outfits to thick ponchos, my simple leather clothing probably did seem odd. So I made a mental note to eventually go shopping for clothes. It's not like I brought any extra clothes with me anyhow. When I say I left everything behind, I meant it.

As I approached the water, I took the towel off so it wouldn't get wet, and slowly submerged myself in the water partially.

"Holy shit..." I mumbled to myself in awe. She wasn't kidding about the whole rejuvenating thing. Not only did I not feel tired anymore, I felt _great, as_ if I could go on a million more around-the-world trips. I leaned against the waterside, heaving in blissful relief as I soaked in the water's energy. I had my eyes closed in contemptment. However, I overheard a conversation going on behind me and started to eavesdrop.

 _I couldn't help it. I'm a curious person._

"Back so soon? How was your adventure?"

"Pretty rough. Had to deal with Ammo Barron's men while I was out. Luckily I managed to come back with what Bolo lost."

"Oh, that's good news! What did he lose?"

"He asked me to keep that private. He's embarrassed about it."

"I see. Well, go ahead and relax in the water. You earned it."

Curiously, I turned my head as I heard the footsteps pass by me. I saw a new character pass by, and my jaw nearly dropped right into the water.

She was absolutely stunning. I didn't see her front side, since she was now headed the opposite way towards the other side of the bath, but her backside gave me plenty to look at. The first thing I noticed was her beautifully long purple hair, put into a ponytail. I'm not really a ponytail kind of guy, but _damn._ My attention began to shift to her outfit, which exposed most of her upper body. She also had golden jewelry on, such as her bracers, circlet, and earrings, which dangled from her pointed ears.

 _Wait, what?_

I had to do a double take. At first, I thought that they might have been fake. But as she started to strip, I started to realize that they were very real. However, the shock of realizing she had pointed ears was quickly overpowered by whatever feeling I was having from watching her strip.

I immediately looked away, as to not get a nosebleed and taint the beautifully serene water I was in. I came to regret looking away, however, because once I looked back to her, she was already naked and submerged in the water. Not that I minded her being naked. She heaved in contemptment as she relaxed. Must have been a universal reaction to the water.

Now that she was across from me, I was able to get a look at her front side. She had very pretty blue eyes that made her cute, relaxed expression glow. She had a light tan that made her seemingly delicate skin that much more sexier and alluring. And her hair was now straightened out from the pony tail, which only made my reaction to her presence even more noticeable. Luckily, she hadn't seen me yet. However, I didn't want to be caught staring at her with an oncoming boner, so I quickly got out of the water.

I approached the bench I left my stuff at and quickly dried off. As I started to dress, I glanced back at the girl, and noticed that she was watching me. She quickly looked away as I noticed. My face began to burn red with embarrassment. Did she notice I was watching her? Deciding to hurry up, I grabbed my knapsack and started to head to the woman who originally greeted me.

"Done so soon? Did you enjoy the bath?" She asked politely as she took the now damp towel I had.

"Yeah, I can't waste too much time. I have a home to claim." I said. "Speaking of which, where can I find the person in charge?"

"Oh, you mean Mayor Scuttlebutt?" She inquired. "He's all over, but he spends a lot of his time at the art gallery. You can probably find him there." She said.

I tried my best to ignore the fact that his name was _Mayor Scuttlebutt_ , and nodded. "Thank you so much for your help. I will definitely be coming here more often, so I hope I'll see you here again." I said, before heading out.

"You definitely will see me here! Good luck!" I heard her call from inside as I looked around.

I was surrounded by buildings, big and small, with lots of unfamiliar faces swarming around me. I realized that finding the art gallery was going to be a lot harder than I thought. I took a deep breath. _Things are only going to get better from here._ I thought to myself. _This is your new life._ And so, with my head held high and filled with dirty thoughts of the girl with purple hair, I headed into the unfamiliar town.


	2. Chapter 2: Financing with Chocolate Bars

It has only been an hour since I arrived at Scuttle Town, and I was already feeling lost. Luckily, everyone was more than willing to point me in the right directions. After talking to many of the residents and making many wrong turns, I finally found the right place. Scuttle Town's one and only art gallery. At least, I think it was the only one.

As I entered, I noticed that there were very few people here despite the building being very large. There were several doors in the opening hallway that lead into even more hallways. Trying to find the Mayor in this place _would_ have been difficult. That is, if he wasn't standing right near the entrance.

The man I spotted fit the description I was given perfectly. Short, fat, soft face and wearing a turban. I was certain he was Scuttle Town's one and only Mayor Scuttlebutt.

 _Still, the name is putting me off a little..._

I approached the man, and he quickly realized my presence. I could tell from his expression that he was having trouble recognizing me. I was surprised he was spending so much time trying to figure out if he's seen me before or not.

"Hello, Mr. Mayor!" I greeted, holding my hand out to him. "We haven't met yet. I'm Y/N, and I'm from a far away land. It's great to finally find you."

The Mayor seemed relieved that I was, in fact, not someone he should be recognizing and shook my hand happily. "Hello visitor! What brings you to Scuttle Town?" He asked curiously.

"Well, you see, I was hoping I could live here." I said. "I'm not a master at any given job, but I'm still pretty versatile. I can do any job I can to help. Fishing, hunting, washing dishes..you name it." I said. I may have come off as a little desperate, but he didn't seem to be the stern mayor type.

"I would be happy to accept you into our town! In fact, we have a nice home near Main Street perfect for a single resident available." He said with a smile. I grinned happily.

"That's awesome!" I said excitedly. "Just tell me what I need to start doing and I'll start working right away!" I said.

"Will do." The Mayor replied. "I'm happy you wish to take the home. It'll cost you twenty thousand gems." He crossed his arms.

I took a long moment to process what he had just said. Probably even _too_ long. At first, I was speechless. But then I quickly began to talk. " _ **Twenty thousand gems?!?** " _I bursted out, in complete awe. "B-But I'm broke! I only have thirty gems!" I stammered, before opening up my knapsack, scrounging around for any loose gems hopelessly. _As if a few extra gems would bump me up to **twenty thousand.**_

Unfortunately, I found nothing. The only thing I scrounged up was a chocolate bar. Although it was still solid, it wasn't new and probably not that good tasting. Still, the look on the mayors face was undeniable. He cleared his throat. "E-Excuse me, Y/N, but..were you going to eat that..?" He asked, with much suppressed excitement.

My mind took a moment, then clicked with an idea. "No, I'll be happy to give it to you." I said. "But in return I want that house all to myself. Deal?" I suggested. I didn't think it would work at all in a million years. I was shocked that he even seemed to consider it.

"Hmm..perhaps we can work out a deal..." He said. "How about this..I'll give you the house for one week to give you time to get the gems you need. But after that, that's all I can do. How's that sound?" He asked.

While I was happy to get anything out of one chocolate bar, there was no way in absolute _hell_ I would be able to get twenty thousand in a week. How would I even begin to tackle that kind of thing?!

Still, I decided that it was best to cash out now while I could. " _Deal_." I said, as I handed him the chocolate bar. He took it and his expression became an obsessively scary one. He tore the wrapping off and devoured it faster than I could even perceive it. He gasped in relief and looked at me.

"Thank you, Y/N!" He said. "As promised, I'll give you the house for one week! I'll have our guardian genie show you where it is." He said, as he started to lead me outside.

"Alright, sounds good..Wait, _what?_ " I asked, confused by what he said. Then as we came outside, I looked ahead of us and spotted her.

It was the purple haired girl from the bathhouse, in her same red and gold dancer outfit that showed off plenty of her skin. I nearly had a nosebleed just seeing her.

"Y/N, meet Shantae. She's the guardian genie of our town!" Mayor Scuttlebutt exclaimed. The girl hopped up to greet me, and I quickly composed myself as much as I could in those few seconds.

"Hi, Y/N! I'm Shantae, it's a pleasure to meet a new friend!" She said joyfully with a smile that could probably put me in cardiac arrest.

I cleared my throat and shook her hand politely. Even her touch sent jolts of electricity through my body. "N-No, please, the pleasure's all mine.." I managed to say.

 _Jeez, Y/N, why don't you make it any more obvious?_

She smiled again and our hands parted. She put her hands behind her back. "Alright Mayor, I can handle the new guy from here. You go have fun." She said to the Mayor, who wasted no time in leaving. Probably to find more chocolate, now that he has a taste for it again.

"You got the house near Main Street, right? That one is great. You'll love it. I'll show you where it is." Shantae said, before starting to head down the street. Her hips bounced as she walked, only making even more blood rush to my cheeks.

"T-Thank you Shantae, I appreciate it." I said. I began to recompose myself. No need to make myself look like an absolute doofus on our first meeting. Besides, I shouldn't be worried about how Shantae might think of me. I had bigger worries, like how I was going to rack up so many gems in such a short amount of time.

 _What am I going to do about all this?_


	3. Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home

I followed close behind Shantae as she led me through the streets, doing my absolute best not to stare at her ass the whole time. Not only would it have been rude to do that, but there were plenty of people around us to catch me staring. These people were going to be my neighbors. _Maybe._ Just thinking about how I was going to get enough gems to afford a house here gave me a worried and somewhat sad feeling.

Shantae must have noticed when she glanced back at me, because she started to walk backwards to face me, totally unworried about where she was walking. "What's wrong, Y/N? You seem worried." She asked.

I sighed a little and looked at her. Although I was happy that she seemed to be genuinely concerned about me. "Ah, well..I was just thinking of how I was going to get enough gems to keep the house. Mayor Scuttlebutt is giving me a week to get twenty thousand for him." I explained.

"Twenty thousand?" Shantae put her hands behind her back. "That sure is a lot. Did you try bribing him with chocolate?" She asked.

I chuckled a little. "Yeah, that's how I was able to get the house for the week." I replied. "Guess I was lucky enough for that much. I tried to get the whole house for free."

She giggled a little before shrugging at me. "Hey, it's not too far fetched. He once sold the whole town for some chocolate, so I had to give him a wish so he could get it back."

"Haha. Cute."

She smiled at me knowingly, giving me the impression that she may not have been kidding. Did I really choose right by coming here?

As I pondered my choice of moving to Scuttle Town, I noticed that Shantae was still not paying attention to where she was going. Just as I noticed that she was walking off the street, her foot hit the curb, and she began to trip. Out of reaction, I went to grab for her to catch her. She didn't hold her arms out to me, so I couldn't grab onto those. And so, out of pure instinct, I managed to grab ahold of the ring of her top.

 _I promise it was out of instinct._

She gasped in surprise, her face becoming redder than my own. Whatever her clothes were made out of, they were strong, because the straps didn't seem to even try to tear off. However, since she was practically hanging from my hold on her top, her breasts were uncovered and exposed to me, and probably anyone else walking by. I didn't get the chance to get a good look. I just closed my eyes and quickly pulled her up.

"I-I'm sorry!" I apologized quickly, almost too afraid to open my eyes. Still, my common sense allowed me to open them. She had already covered herself up again, and I realized that she was much more embarrassed than myself. So I decided to try not to make it seem like it was a big deal.

"Um...sorry about that. Just trying to catch ya.." I said, trying to chuckle to ease the tension.

"N-No, it's fine..it was an accident.." She said as she looked down, rubbing her arm. Her expression didn't really make it seem like it was 'fine.' "I should have watched where I was going..anyways, let's just keep going.."

She turned her back to me and started walking. I followed close behind, now feeling a lot more guilty about the event. Although, I was surprised by the way she was reacting. I didn't expect someone who wears clothes as revealing as hers to be so embarrassed, especially since she was perfectly fine being naked in a public bath not too long ago.

 _I guess I'm just not used to what's considered normal here..._ I thought to myself.

The rest of our walk was filled with awkward silence. I wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't make things worse, so I just figured that letting it all blow over was the best option. Once we finally arrived to the house, she seemed to suddenly lighten up again. She skipped towards the front porch of the building and turned back around, practically beaming at me.

"Here it is!" She said. "You're new home in Scuttle Town!"

I took a look at the place. It wasn't half bad. Granted, it was located at a busier location than other places, which made sense. It was very close to Main Street, which _sounds_ busy. The house was one story, and not very large. But it seemed plenty big for only one person. In truth, I loved it.

" _Badass."_ I said with a grin. I walked up to the front door to try to get inside, but the front door was locked. I grumbled a little. "Shit."

"What's wrong?" Shantae asked, curiously looking up at the rooftop of my house. I turned to look at her.

"I forgot to get the key from the Mayor." I said. "I should have thought about that..." I rubbed my forehead out of frustration.

Shantae continued looking at the roof, before smiling. "No problem. I think that's the key right up there!" She said, pointing up at the roof. Curious, I took a few steps towards her direction and looked to where she pointed. Sure enough, there was a key hanging right over the edge, glistening in the sunlight.

"How'd it even get up there?" I asked myself, confused. A lot of things were confusing me today.

"Heh. Newbie. Trust me. This kind of thing is normal." She said with a slight smirk.

I sighed a little before walking right underneath the edge of the roof. "Alright, I'll give you a boost up so you can grab it." I said. But Shantae only laughed.

"Nah, this is a perfect time to show off..." she said, as she seemingly started to place her feet strategically.

I blinked at her, confused yet again. "Wait, what's that supposed to.."

Before I could even get an answer, she started to move her body in a belly dance. I was instantly in awe. They way her hips bounced from side to side, and her arms wiggled as she moved, it was...well, it was alluring to say the least. Not to mention that her chest would jiggle with every bounce of her hips.

Her arms were like waves, moving seemlessly through the air, and her hips moved as though there was a fast beat to it. It was almost like I could _hear_ the beat in my head. Then, before I could even process the entirely of her nearly hypnotic belly dance, she ended it with a pose, raising her arm up in the air gracefully.

"TRANSORM!" She called out with a big grin.

Suddenly, there was a large puff of purple smoke, and Shantae was gone. My eyes were wide with half surprise, and half fear.

"S-Shantae?" I whispered quietly. Just as I said this, something small suddenly rushed past my feet. I looked down, barely getting a few glimpses before the small creature jumped up right onto the rooftop of my house. It was only then when I realized what it was that rushed by me.

It was a _purple monkey._ I was beyond appalled by what was happening. However, the shade of purple and the gold circlet the monkey wore didn't lie. I somehow knew it was Shantae. I guess being a guardian genie has perks.

The monkey Shantae grabbed the key and hopped right down in front of me. Just as it landed, a smaller puff of smoke enveloped the space in front of me, and faded away to reveal Shantae in her normal form. She was crouched, holding the key of her hand. She stood up straight and placed it right in my hand. I was too shocked to even take it from her myself. She must have expected me to be that way, because she was grinning.

"Not bad, huh?" She asked teasingly, before flicking my forehead, sending my mind back to ground level. "I guess there aren't any half genies where your from, right?"

"U-Uh...n-no, not really..." I practically sputtered. "What..what _was that?!"_ I questioned. She only giggled.

"Transformation dance. My mother was a genie, so that makes me a half genie." She said, pointing at her own pointed ears. It explained a little bit, like the ears. But it also opened up _a lot_ more questions.

"Well, let's take a look inside of your new house, 'outsider.'" She joked, before turning her back to me to face the front door. I snapped back into full reality, accepting that what I saw was, in fact, not a dream, and stepped in front of the door. I put the key in the keyhole and twisted, unlocking it with easy. I opened the door fully to allow light in, and glanced around.

It was a lot nicer than I expected. It wasn't too busy with the decorations, but there were enough there to give it personality. There was a half wall separating the bedroom from the rest of the house, which was just a small living room and kitchen put together. It resembled a large apartment room, like from where I came from. I was okay with it. It's all I needed.

"This is great!" I said in excitement, as I started to look around. Shantae, while curiously exploring, only seemed confused.

"Wow..the Mayor wanted twenty thousand gems for _this?_ It's not bad, but...that's pretty expensive.." She said as she explored the living room/kitchen area.

What she said made me remember the situation I was in. I became less excited. "But it's what I have to deal with." I said with a sigh.

Shantae thought to herself for a moment, rubbing her chin in silence before beaming with an idea. "How about I bring you with me on an adventure!" She suggested with excitement.

I looked at her in confusion. Definitely wouldn't be the first time today. "Huh?" Was all I could reply with.

"Well, as the Guardian Genie of this town, I have to help everyone, including you. I can bring you with me and maybe we can find a way to get you enough gems!" She said, skipping towards me. She grabbed both of my hands and held them in hers, which only caused me to blush a little.

"I rarely get to go out on adventure with anyone. They mostly want me to go alone.." She said. "But I'm sure you'll come with me! Right?" She asked.

At this point, it sounded like she was begging me. I could see it in her eyes that she really wanted me to go with her. Not to mention that I had absolutely no chance in getting enough gems by working a simple job in one week. Maybe we could find treasure or something.

And so, with an unsure sigh, I nodded. "Yeah. I'll go with. But only if I can have a large share in gems." I said, with a small grin. Shantae burst out in excitement.

"Yes! Thank you!" She said, before pulling me in a quick, yet tight hug. She released me just as quickly. "I'm so excited! I get to show off all my dances..you won't be disappointed!" She said. Obviously she meant that in a completely innocent manner, but my mind was filled with thoughts of watching her doing a sexy belly dance.

"Y-Yeah, me too. Sounds fun!" I replied simply, rubbing the back of my head.

Shantae started to back up towards the front door. "We'll meet up and head out tomorrow, ok? I'll think about where we should go and all that. You just get some rest." She said, as I nodded. Although I felt full of energy because of the bath earlier, I could use some real sleep.

"Sounds good to me." I said.

Shantae smiled at me once more. "See you tomorrow. And welcome to Scuttle Town!" She said, before leaving the house and closing the door.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the still door before dropping down in my seat. "...What am I getting myself into...?" I asked myself. The day was so strange, and yet felt so real.

And I had a weird feeling that it was only going to get weirder.


	4. Chapter 4: Saving the Day!

My first day in Scuttle Town was, at the very least, interesting.

First, I found the most amazing bathhouse in _history_ , and got naked in public for the first time in my life. Then, I spotted the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and nearly had an aneurysm from almost bleeding from my nose seeing her get naked. Next, I met the Mayor of Scuttle Town, who just so happened to be a chocoholic _and_ a hard bargainer. Then, I officially met the girl from the bathhouse. As it turns out, she's half genie! And she can transform into monkeys!

 _Probably can transform into other animals, but that's a question for later._

Finally, I made it to my soon-to-be permanent house. Hopefully. That depends on the luck I have with Shantae tomorrow. Going on this adventure was definitely a long shot. It's not going to be a given we find treasure that's worth twenty thousand gems. However, I was hopeful. I even looked forward to it somewhat.

But for now, it was night time. The energy I got from the bathhouse was wearing off fast, and I was exhausted. I took off all of my clothes all except for my underwear. I didn't have any clothes for sleeping in. If I managed to become richer than I ever dreamed, I was going to buy _so many_ robes.

I jumped into my bed. It was comfier than it looked. I closed my eyes and relaxed blissfully, a smile forming on my face. I enjoyed the peaceful quiet, and slowly drifted to sleep...

 **BOOM!!!**

My peaceful drifting was interrupted violently in an instant. An explosion set off not too far away, followed by terrified screams of the residents of Scuttle Town.

"What the hell...?" I mumbled, before jumping out of bed. I quickly threw my clothes back on, and headed to the front door. I noticed people running away from the coastal side of Scuttle Town. Past some buildings right behind them was a cloud of smoke. I heard another, slightly smaller explosion set off from that direction.

My normal reaction would have been to run away, but I was worried about what was happening. And so, I started to run _towards_ the explosions.

 _Great idea, Y/N. Dying on your first day of your new life._

After passing through many terrified crowds, I finally reached the scene of the event. I climbed up top a building to get a safe view. The building I was on top of was some sort of observatory, with a large tower protruding from the roof. There was a very large, blue and spiked battleship floating by the docks, with several cannons pointed in a multitude of directions. At the top was the large commando-looking nest, and it was heavily fortified. Standing up there was a very large man wearing a blue trench coat and a weird racoon-looking hat. And he also had one single eye, which was slightly off-putting.

Suddenly, **boom!** One of the frontal cannons fired a large, red cannon ball into the open. That was when I realized that _Shantae_ was there in the ship's path. She got into a defensive stance, and suddenly, her purple ponytail whipped forward, striking the ball and deflecting it right back at the ship. The ball hit the hull, hard, damaging the metal. But it didn't penetrate.

 _I decided to ignore the fact that her hair was a weapon, and focused on the attacker._

"Nice move, Babe!" The man taunted, putting his hands on his hips. "But I had Techno Baron design this ship after my battle tank design!"

"If I remember correctly, I destroyed that pretty easily!" Shantae retorted, smirking a little.

"This is true." The man said. "But I also made some UPGRADES!" And with that, he pressed a button on his control panel. On each side of the ship, a hatch opened up. Suddenly, large robotic hands shot out and reached out to Shantae. Before she could react, they grabbed her tightly, lifting her off the ground.

"N-No..!" She wriggled helplessly, her feet kicking underneath her as the hands gripped tightly around her.

"Hahaha! Pretty sweet, right?" The man grinned, crossing his arms. More ships started to appear from behind. They were smaller, and not nearly as weaponized, but they were big enough to hold plenty of men all wearing matching blue coat uniforms. They hopped off their ships and started to charge across the dock, towards the town.

I had to do something. But what could I do? I wasn't a half genie, and I didn't have any experience in fighting. I thought to myself, trying to be clever. Then I realized I was standing on a building that had a large tower raising above it. An idea clicked in my mind. It would take insane timing, and insane luck. But it was all I could think of. And with Shantae being crushed, I didn't have time to come up with any more ideas.

I stood up straight, and yelled out at the top of my lungs, "HEY CYCLOPS! YOUR HAT LOOKS STUPID!" Both the man and Shantae looked up towards my direction. I even caught the attention of the soldiers.

"Y/N?! What are you doing?!" Shantae asked loudly, before being gripped tighter by the robotic hands., yelling in pain.

The man seemed to growl angrily, his singular eye squinting in frustration. "How dare you mock my uniform design?!" Suddenly, the big cannon on the front of the hull pointed itself direction at me.

 _Oh boy._

"See ya later, loser!" The man taunted, before pulling down on a lever from his control panel.

 **BOOM!** The cannon fired, launching an enourmous cannon ball directly at me. I instantly jumped out of the way, right off the rooftop and into a pile of garbage. Not the most graceful fall, but I was alive. I quickly looked up to see the now damaged tower. The entire bottom of it was obliterated, but the top was still intact, starting to tilt down and fall. I couldn't see where it was landing, but I heard the sound of waves crashing, wood docks being destroyed, men shouting, and the distinct, yet satisfying sound of a particular battleship being crushed.

 **"NOOO!"** I heard the man yell. I quickly rushed around the building to get to the docks. When I got into view, I saw Shantae on the floor, just now getting free from the now destroyed robotic hands. The tower had fallen directly on the end of the docks and the battleship, denying the soldiers their entry and destroying their firepower. Just as I planned. I grinned widely. "Holy shit, I can't believe that _worked!!"_ I said proudly.

Shantae looked back at me. "That was insane!" She said. "But also pretty cool! And lucky!" She returned the grin. But then we both realized this was no time to celebrate. At the end of the dock, or at least, the part that was still standing, the tall man climbed up out of the water, standing up tall and looking at our direction.

"This isn't the end, kids! That was a fluke! I barely had enough resources as it was to build that ship!" He said angrily.

Shantae huffed out and put her hands on her hips. "Hey! We are _not_ kids! I'm eighteen!" She said. "And I'm like..ninety percent sure Y/N is eighteen, too!" She then looked right at me. "You're legal too, right?"

"Well, yeah. Of course." I replied, shrugging slightly.

"Good. Glad we established that clearly." She said, before looking back at the man.

 _Somehow I figured that establishing that out loud was convenient for somebody. Oh well._

The man sneered before climbing into one of the small ships. Some of his men desperately climbed into it from the water. "I'm on my way to get some treasure!" He said. "Once I get rich, I'm going to come back with a whole fleet of battleships! And they're going to have anti-tower armor!" And with that, he turned his ship around, and sailed off with what was left of his crew.

Both me and Shantae took a loud breath. She was a lot more hurt than me. "I think..we should head to the bathhouse to get our vigor back.." I suggested.

"That's not a bad idea.." Shantae said, giving me a soft smile. Then, her gaze returned to the dock. Her eyes suddenly glistened with curiosity. "I think Ammo Baron dropped something!" She exclaimed, before rushing towards the water.

 _Wait, that guy was a baron?!_

Shantae stood buy the waterside. With the dock bridge being destroyed, she couldn't get to the other side. She stretched her arms, before placing her feet firmly. I recognized the stance and watched in anticipation for her dance.

I wasn't disappointed. It was just as alluring and sexy as last time. Though this time, it was different. The melodic movements of her hips were different, as if bouncing to a whole new beat. Then, she posed, smiling widely.

"Tranform!"

She disappeared into a cloud of smoke. But this time, instead of a cute little monkey, she transformed into a bat, answering _one_ of my earlier questions. She flew around the tower's remains and landed on the other side. The large tower blocked me from seeing her, but it didn't take long for her to start flying back to my side and landing right beside me. With another puff of smoke, she was Shantae again. She was holding a rolled up parchment.

"Y/N!! I found something great!" She said excitedly, before unrolling the parchment for me to see. I recognized it as a map, and it was on an island not too far from Scuttle Town.

"There's a map showing a way to a temple! I think this is the treasure Ammo Baron was talking about!" She said enthusiastically. Suddenly, I was invigorated. There was a chance for me after all!

"S-Shantae, this is great! I might be able to stay in Scuttle Town!" I said excitedly. Before I could say anything else, she placed the map in my hand.

"Exactly. Which is why you should keep the map. We'll leave for Tan Line Island tomorrow as planned. Meet me at Sky's Hatchery first thing in the morning, okay?" She instructed. I nodded understanding.

"Alright, you got it." I said. I looked at the map, then I looked at her. "Shantae, I don't know what to say..thank you." I simply said. I was grateful that she was so willing to help me, even after the slip up earlier with the whole 'nearly ripping her top off' thing.

Shantae put her hand on my shoulder, and it felt like lightning just struck me. "Don't say anything.." She said. She paused for a moment, before leaning up to me. She planted a soft kiss on my left cheek, before quickly pulling away and looking down, blushing. I was glad she wasn't looking at me, because I was beet red.

"And...thank you for saving me..." She said softly, rubbing her arm with a soft smile on her face, before turning away and running into town.

I stood there for a long moment, waiting for the betterflies in my stomach to calm down. I grinned stupidly to myself, touching my cheek gently. Then, I decided that I would need my sleep for the upcoming day, and started to head back home.

 _Things may not have been as bad as I thought._


	5. Chapter 5: Unfavorable Flight

I woke up in a less than favorable way. I had fallen out of my bed without even waking up that night, and had been sleeping in an uncomfortable position for what I can assume to be several hours.

It was day two in my week long quest to get an insane amount of gems, which was still little to no time at all. I was riding everything on the hope of finding some kind of treasure on Tan Line Island. I was exhausted. Still, I made sure to wake up plenty early in the morning, despite the fact that I didn't get much sleep. As I got up, I noticed that there was a dresser sitting by my bed. I had noticed it before, but I never even considered to look in it. I opened it up, and was pleasantly surprised to see a handful of clean clothes all folded and hanging neatly.

Still, I put on the same leather clothes I had the day before. For now, anyways. I wanted to head to the bathhouse and get my energy back. Plus, I still smelled like garbage. When I thought about that, I remembered when Shantae had kissed my cheek that night, after Ammo Baron ran off. _Did I smell bad then?_ I thought to myself. Deciding not to dwell too much on it out of embarrassment, I picked out some clean clothes, and packed up my knapsack with some food and water. Then, I headed out the door.

I was glad I had good memory. I was able to find my way to the bathhouse with ease. Once I got inside, I was greeted by the same woman from yesterday, who handed me a towel and told me to enjoy. I thanked her, found a bench, stripped naked, and took a few minutes to relax in the bath.

Once I was full with energy again, I got out and headed back to my stuff. I dried off and put on the new clean clothes. I was now wearing a cotton open vest, which exposed the entire front of my body, and a silk pair of white baggy pants. I had some pointy shoes, which I wouldn't have liked normally, but it put the outfit together. I was pleasantly surprised by how good I looked in it. Although, silk pants may not have been a good idea for adventuring in the desert.

I returned the towel and thanked the woman, and started to head out. Luckily, Sky's Hatchery was close by the bathhouse. _Really_ close. I could see it as I left. That's convenient.

I started to head inside, and immediately noticed that the walls were completely filled with shelves and nests, all holding different kinds of eggs of all colors and designs. _This is definitely the hatchery,_ I thought to myself. The ceiling was completely open, letting in plenty of sunlight and fresh air. I looked ahead and saw Shantae speaking with a blonde-haired girl. She was wearing white pants and a top that revealed some of her body, almost as much as Shantae. _Almost._ She had a cloak on that covered her head and hung freely from her back. She had a falconry glove on.

Both Shantae and the girl noticed me come in, and Shantae greeted me with a smile. "Good morning Y/N!" She said, quickly coming up to me. The way she always seemed to hop up to me always made me think about how cute she was. "You still have the map, right?"

"Yup!" I said, opening my knapsack to show the map resting safely inside. "I'm all ready to go."

"Great! This is Sky, one of my closest friends. Sky, this is Y/N. He's new here to Scuttle Town." Shantae said, stepping aside so me and Sky can come face to face with one another.

"So, you're the guy Shantae has been talking about all morning." She said, crossing her arms at me. I only grinned a little with a half chuckle.

"Yup. I'm the guy who destroyed Ammo Baron's battleship! No need to thank me..I'm just naturally badass." I bragged jokingly.

"You're also the guy who nearly ripped Shantae's top off in the middle of the street." She said judgingly. My eyes widened a little.

"N-No, it was an accident, I didn't mean to.." I tried to explain, stammering a little as I did so. Shantae crossed her arms.

"Sky, I said it wasn't on purpose. You don't have to get on him for that." She said. Sky laughed a little. Then she held her arm out, and suddenly, a purple bird with blue wings came down from above, landing on her forearm gracefully.

"I know, I know." Sky said. "But if you do it again, I'll have Wrench here bite your ears off." She threatened. The bird cawed in agreement, making me gulp in both shock over the bird understanding english, and fear of the bird actually biting my ears off.

"R-Right..no top tearing..gotcha..." I said, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

Sky smirked a little. "Good. Glad we have that settled." She said. There was a short, awkward pause, before Sky spoke up again. "But you do have my permission to _consensually_ have sex with her.." She joked. I rolled my eyes at the joke, letting it go, but Shantae was blushing furiously.

"S-Sky! What the hell?!" She complained, stomping her foot a little. Sky bursted out laughing.

"Relax, I'm only joking!" She said. "I've been joking this whole time, sheesh... You do seem like a good guy, Y/N. There's not a lot of good men out there, so don't disappoint me."

I got the impression that she had some bad experience with men. Maybe some guy dumped her in the past or something.

Shantae sighed in defeat. "Whatever. Let's just head out, we only have a less than a week to find this treasure, so every second counts!" She said.

"Agreed." I said, nodding. "I suppose we'll have to get a ship to take us to the island..." I started to open my knapsack to search for any extra gems I may have hiding around.

"No need." Sky said. "Wrench will fly you guys there." I looked at the bird sitting on her forearm. I snorted a little.

"Cute." I simply said. "Unless your bird can turn into a bigger bird, I don't think-"

"MEGA-WRENCH METAMORPHOSIS!" Sky suddenly called out, interrupting me. Wrench cawed and flew off her arm, and suddenly, in a large puff of smoke, he grew larger. Much larger than myself. I stared in absolute confusion.

"Holy-!" I exclaimed, backing away from the freakishly large bird.

"Surprised?" Sky asked with a short laugh. Shantae laughed a little as well.

"He had the same reaction when he saw me transform." She added, smiling a little.

"Oh yeah? How did he like watching you _dance_?" Sky smirked, nudging Shantae's stomach with her elbow. Shantae rolled her eyes at Sky.

"Ha-ha. Let's get on and get out of here..." Shantae said sarcastically. Sky then hopped onto Wrenches back, and so did Shantae. She held her hand down to me, offering to help me up. I reluctantly took her hand, and she pulled me up.

"You're gonna want to hold on tight, new guy!" Sky said.

Suddenly, Wrench started to flap his now-powerful wings, slowly beginning to lift off the ground. As soon as he started to rise, I instinctively wrapped my arms tightly around Shantae's body.

Definitely not the most manly thing to do when you're trying to impress a girl, but I was _really_ afraid of heights.

Wrench flew through the giant opening in the roof, and flew out into the open sky. Scuttle Town disappeared behind us in no time at all. Sky and Shantae seemed to be gazing out into the open seas, enjoying the view. Meanwhile, I was in the back, doing my best not to let out any screams of terror and holding on to Shantae for dear life.

After what felt like an eternity of flying, but was really ten or twenty minutes, we landed on the sandy shores of Tan Line Island. Once the bird calmed down, I jumped off faster than anyone else could, getting on my hands and knees. "Finally! Earth!" I exclaimed dramatically. I never knew how lucky I was to be on the ground before.

"Pfft. Wimp." Sky mumbled, chuckling a little.

Shantae hopped off of Wrench and bent down besides me, putting her hand on my shoulder and laughing softly. "Don't worry Y/N, you'll get used to it eventually." She said supportively, although she was holding in a laugh.

Sky looked down at us from atop Wrench. "Alright, I'm gonna head back to Scuttle Town. You still have the whistle I gave you, right Shantae?" She said, looking at her. Shantae nodded, pulling the whistle out from her bag and showing it to Sky. Sky nodded. "Alright. Good luck you two!" She said, as Wrench started to flap his wings, sending sand all over the place with gusts of wind. "And don't try anything perverted, Y/N!" She said, before Wrench took off, eventually disappearing over the horizon.

We stood there in silence for a few moments before Shantae spoke up, turning towards me with an excited smile. "I'm pretty stoked. I haven't been on an adventure with someone else in a while! Let's check out that map!" She said.

I nodded, opening my sack and pulling the map out. I unrolled it, holding it out for both of us to see. Unfortunately, it wasn't a straight to the point kind of map. It was puzzling. But the first destination was clear enough. "We're supposed to go to this desert temple..." I said. "I guess from there we'll find a way to the treasure?" The map was strange. After the temple, the trail went into twists and turns over the flat open desert. Maybe it was for an underground passageway?

"Temple?" Shantae asked, looking at the map. "Oh..oh no..." She mumbled. I became a little nervous from her reaction.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked. Shantae looked at me, waving her hand at me a little.

"It's nothing. It's not terrible, it's just..." She sighed. "The people who live there are kinda troublesome...and annoying. Let's just hope their princess is home."

"Oh. Ok...wait, what?" I asked questioningly. Shantae only giggled.

"You know, if you had a gem for every time you said 'what' like that, you'd have plenty enough to get that house." She teased, before heading into the desert.

"Ugh..tell me about it.." I replied, following her. I took another glance at the map. Although it showed a clear path to the temple, after that, it was vague and confusing. The rest of the map only showed the whole island, with no other indication of any underground passages. I just hoped that things would clear up once we got to the temple.

I set aside the map, looking ahead. Shantae's hips swayed as she walked, and I couldn't help but stare at her from behind, even with the fearful idea of a giant nine foot bird biting my ears off.

I just hoped that this whole thing would pay off, one way or another.


	6. Chapter 6: Rottytops

It had only been five minutes of walking, and I came to regret wearing pants that day. I mean, I knew that we were headed to a desert, so why did I even wear them? My weakness for silk clothing bit me in the ass _hard._

Shantae was wearing pants as well, and she seemed to be dreadful about it too. I was somewhat glad that I wasn't the only one who made that mistake. At least we both wore little to nothing above our waists. I had a small open vest and she had ringed bra top on. Too bad that my exposed skin was baking, and I could only assume the same was happening with Shantae.

"Maybe we should have brought some sunscreen or something..." I moaned in annoyance, slouching forward slightly. Shantae mumbled a little before speaking up loud enough for me to hear.

"I've been here plenty of times, but I never learn my lesson in preparing.." She said.

I took a moment to scan our surrounding. Other than the occasional stone blocks scattered around and small cacti monsters crawling around in the sand, there was nothing in sight. Well, there wasn't any buildings or shaded areas. At this point, I could really go for some shade.

"Um..Y/N.." Shantae spoke up, almost timidly. I looked back to her out of curiousity. "Sorry about telling Sky..about what happened on the street. I didn't think she'd get on you so hard about that.."

I was surprised to hear her bring it up, but I simply laughed a little. Then I sped up a little to catch up to her, now walking right beside her. "It's no big deal." I said. "I know she was only messing around. Besides, you really shouldn't be the one apologizing. I was the one who..well, you know.." I explained. And I meant it, too. I felt guilty about showing her boobs to everyone on that street yesterday.

Shantae looked at me with a heartwarming smile. "Y/N..I.."

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a woman screaming in the distance. Both me and Shantae looked out towards where it came from.

"It came from this way! Come on!" Shantae said suddenly, now filled with energy. She dashed across the sand, and I followed right behind. We ran full speed, looking around. Once we made it towards the source of the sound, I noticed a large, crater like depression in the sand, with wooden ramps going down to the center. At the center was a girl. The first thing I noticed was her green skin. Her hair was also green, but a shade darker. She was wearing a torn crop top and torn shorts, both of which showed off her curvy body.

I probably would have spent more time eyeballing her if it weren't for the fact that she was surrounded by three large creatures. They had the upper body of a normal woman..kind of. They had bright red skin and intense yellow eyes, with pointed purple hair. They were decorated with golden jewelry. The female half of these creatures didn't wear clothing, so their breasts were completely exposed. Not that I cared about that, because their skin appeared to be scaly. Of course, that wasn't even the most outlandish part of these creatures. Their entire lower halves were that of a scorpion's. Their scorpion halves were blood red, walking on six legs with a long, speared tail coming from the back. All three of them wielded scimitars, just to add to their deadly looks.

The didn't look too friendly.

They closed in on the girl, and she screamed again. "Get away from me you creepy bugs!" She yelled, trying her best to keep away from the aggressive creatures.

" _Rottytops?!_ " Shantae exclaimed in surprise, as she started to run down one of the wooden ramps.

"Wait, you _know_ her?" I asked. It seemed like there were a lot of things for me to be confused about. But at this point, I've gotten used to it.

"Yeah, she's a friend! I'll explain later!" Shantae replied, before getting into a stance to start a dance. I didn't have time to watch. I had to find a way to help. I wasn't much of a fighter, but if I distracted one or two of the creatures, Shantae would have an easier time fighting them in smaller numbers.

I heard the sound of an elephant's battle cry and looked over to see a large pink elephant with the distinct golden circlet around its head charge one of the Scorpion-girls, bashing her right into the sand. The other two were about the turn and fight this new threat, so I decided to act. I grabbed a stone pebble from some rubble and tossed it as hard as I could, hitting one of the scorpions right in the head. She turned to face me with one of the most threatening looks I have ever seen, and I instantly regretted my decision.

She charged towards me, pointing the scimitar she weilded at me. I turned around and ran, leading the scorpion girl towards one of the wooden ramps. Since she was so much larger than me, I had the bright idea of quickly hopping in between the wooden support beams underneath the ramp. The creature tried to reach me with its scimitar out to cut me, but she didn't quite reach.

"Ha!" I taunted.

The scorpion girl growled, before turning her back to me. She winded up her tail, before crashing it against the wooden beams, destroying them. The ramp started to collapse slightly, so I was forced to jump back out into the open. The scorpion tried to seize the opportunity and started to turn back around. Instinctively, I grabbed onto her tail.

Not the brightest of moves.

The creature growled in frustration as she kept turning to face me, only for me to be dragged across the sand by her tail. The tail wriggled helplessly in my grasp, trying desperately to stab at me with it's sword-like spike. Eventually, the creature raised her tail and started to whip me around, trying to throw me off. And it worked. I was thrown into the sand. I coughed a little as the wind was knocked out of me, and looked up to see the scorpion girl towering over me. She raised one of it's legs, preparing to stab me. But, just as I was about to get pierced, the collapsing wooden ramp started to tilt, before crashing down on top of the scorpion creature. I heard her hissing in pain as the sand blew all over, before she stopped moving completely.

"Huh." I said to myself, standing up. "Guess I'm luckier than I thought I was."

"Not quiet, handsome." A female voice spoke from right behind me. I jumped in surprise and somewhat fear, quickly turning around. It was the green skinned girl. I figured out that she had actually pushed the ramp over to save me. And now that I had a closer look at her, I could see that her skin had many stitches and sutures on her. I was a little confused, but those stitches and the skull jewelry she had on gave it away pretty easily. She was undead.

"Y-You're..you're..." I stuttered, staring at her.

"A zombie." She replied. I was a little surprised. I've never seen a zombie before, so perhaps I was mistaken, but I would have expected a zombie to have rotten, disgusting skin and features. But not this girl. Her skin seemed smooth, and she surprisingly had a fair complexion. Was that even possible for a zombie? "I'm Rottytops, it's nice to meet you sweetie!" She said, grabbing onto one of my hands.

"U-Um..." I couldn't help but blush slightly. She really was an attractive zombie. I don't think I was really attracted to her completely, but it still surprised me. "I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you too.."

Rottytops grinned at me before suddenly placing her hand on my bare chest. "You're my hero, Y/N!" She said, a little more dramatically than she needed to.

My face turned dark red with embarrassment. "N-No, I was just..."

"Rottytops!"

Both me and Rottytops turned our heads to see a worn out Shantae. She didn't seem injured, which was good. But she didn't seem happy. Rottytops released my hand and pulled away. She smiled widely at Shantae and approached her. "Hi Shantae! Thanks for saving me!" She said.

"Shantae, I'm glad you're ok..!" I said, approaching her as well. "Did you take care of the others?"

"Yes, I got the Scorpgals." She said, before turning her gaze back to Rottytops. "What do you think you're _doing_?" She asked accusingly.

Rottytops dramatically gasped in surprise. "I don't know what you mean. I was just trying to show my gratitude to this stud for helping me out!" She said, looking at me and giving me a wink. That only seemed to make Shantae more frustrated. Was she jealous?

"You don't have to do that!" She said in annoyance. "Besides, you should be thanking _me."_ I was the one who got two of the Scorpgals.

Rottytops smirked a little. "You're right. Where are my manners?" She said, before suddenly grabbing ahold of Shantae's breasts.

"R-Rotty-!" Shantae complained, pushing Rottytops' hands away from her. Shantae crosses her arms over her chest, and Rottytops frowned. "You're no fun.." Rotty complained. I'm glad they weren't paying any attention to me anymore, because I was mentally replaying what I saw in my head.

"W-Whatever..what are you even doing here, anyway? I thought you and your bothers were living in that mansion now.." Shantae asked, moving a little closer into the shadow of the now wrecked ramp.

"Huh? Oh, I just came to find that temple place we found last time." Rotty said. "The princess outfit I got from them got ruined, so I was hoping they would give me a new one!"

 _Princess outfit?_

"I see.." Shantae said. "Well, me and Y/N were heading there ourselves." Shantae said.

"Oh really? Are you going there to get an outfit too?" Rotty asked, causing Shantae to blush.

"N-No-! We're looking for treasure! We have a map!" Shantae exclaimed. Rotty's eyes suddenly lit up in excitement.

"Treasure?!" Rotty asked. "That sounds fun! Can I come?" She asked. Shantae sighed a little, before giving in to her.

"Ok, you can tag along." She said. "But we're doing this so Y/N can afford to live in Scuttle Town, so even if you do get some of it, it'll only be a little."

"Not a problem! Zombies don't need gems all that much anyways!" Rotty replied.

"Also..!" Shantae suddenly started to add. "You can't touch Y/N inappropriately anymore! Period!" She scolded.

Rottytops pouted. "Awww..But I like embarrassing him.." She complained, which only made me blush a little. Never in my life would I have thought a zombie would want to sexually tease me before. Although I didn't take it _too_ personally. She struck me as a free-spirited type of person anyway, which was pretty ironic considering she was..well, _dead._

"Speaking of which.." Rotty began. "Why are you suddenly so embarrassed about the princess dresses we got? You were completely fine with them before."

"W-What? I'm okay with them!" Shantae replied quickly. "It's just...with Y/N..." She paused for a moment, before finishing. "Nevermind. Let's just go. This heat is _killing_ me."

"Dibs on your brains!" Rotty called out. Shantae started to head towards a different ramp that was actually intact. Me and Rotty followed her up the ramp and out of the sandy depression.

I pondered what it was Shantae was going to say about me. I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to bring it up or not, but regardless, I needed to focus on leading us to this temple. And now that we have another teammate with us, I had a feeling this was going to get a _lot_ more interesting.


	7. Chapter 7: Tan Line Temple

The three of us marched across the wide open desert. Me and Shantae were exhausted and hot. Rottytops, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content. Probably because she was a _zombie_ , which I was still trying to get over.

For a Zombie, she definitely seemed free spirited and lively, and she wasn't rotten. She was _actually_ fairly attractive, which is something I would never have said about a zombie. However, I didn't feel attracted to her. I probably would have, if it wasn't for Shantae.

 _Wait, what about Shantae?_

I had this strange feeling when it came to Shantae. As far as being attracted to her _sexually_ was one thing, and sort of normal for me. But I had a different feeling. She made me feel butterflies in my stomach, and always set them free whenever she touched or spoke to me.

Was I in _love_ with her?

Before I could dwell more on the thought, I looked over at Shantae. She seemed miserable. Her tongue was practically hanging out in dehydration. I wished I realized a while ago. I quickly opened my bag up and pulled out a bottle of water. I held it out to her.

"Here, drinks are on me." I said, trying to be humorous.

Shantae looked at me and gave me a half smile, half grin. "Well, well. Aren't you the gentleman." She joked, before taking the bottle from me and drinking from it. After drinking an adequate amount of water, she pulled the bottle from her lips, gasping in relief before handing it back to me. "Thanks, 'handsome.'" She joked, clearly only calling back to what Rottytops was calling me earlier.

Then Rottytops suddenly got in between us. "What about handsome? Are we talking about Mr. Muscly over here?" She teased, running her hand down my arm sensually. Shantae was practically fuming.

"My name is Y/N, ya know.." I mumbled, though I was a bit embarrassed with how she was feeling my arm up. But before Shantae could say anything about it, I looked ahead, and suddenly happiness gleamed in my eyes. "There it is!" I said, pointing.

Tan Line Temple. Remembering what Shantae explained to me, there was a civilization of people and servants who lived there, who separated themselves from the rest of society. Well, except for grocery runs, apparently. But ever since Shantae and her friends came into the Temple, they've been leaving the entrance open for the world. And as we approached the massive stone building, I realized that she was right. The enourmous door was completely open to the world.

Shantae groaned. "Finally! Some shade!" She said, running over to the building. Me and Rotty ran behind her, and stopped right at the entrance. Me and Shantae leaned against the stone edge, taking a short water break, while Rotty just stood right beside us, bouncing with energy.

"This is great! I'll have a replacement bikini in no time!" She said with glee.

"Wait, _bikini?"_ I asked curiously. I won't lie, it caught my attention.

"Well, not really a _bikini_..." Shantae said, looking down and rubbing her arm. She seemed flustered about it again. "More like a skimpy garb, kind of."

"Oh. I see." I said simply. However, I became a little excited. So I decided to change the subject. "Well, the map leads here, so I'm going to guess that there's some sort of underground passage either near the temple, or inside of it. Either way, I think we could all.." I glanced at Rotty for a moment. "..well, some of us could use a rest break. Let's just go and introduce ourselves. Maybe they'll have clean water, because I didn't bring as much as I should have.." I said.

"Alright, that does sound like a smart idea." Shantae said. "Although let's just hope their princess isn't out. I don't want to be held hostage again."

"It should be fine!" Rotty said enthusiasticly. "I'm sure the advisor guy remembers us anyways! There shouldn't be any confusion!" She put her hand on her hip, smiling at Shantae.

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm not as optimistic about it." Shantae said. "Regardless, let's just head in."

I nodded at her and then to Rotty. Then, we all faced the entrance and headed inside.

The temple on the inside was much more ornate and clean than I thought it would be, considering that it was in the middle of the desert. There were stone columns supporting the temple, painted yellow and bright with designs consisting of arches and lines. The floors were flat and clean of any dust or sand. At least, they were, before we started to track sand in with our shoes. Not that I really cared. All I cared about was enjoying the shade for once.

I did, however, care about the several people staring right at us. They all wore white robes, which definitely put me off a little. They whispered to themselves quietly, mostly staring at Shantae and Rotty. Probably because they've been there before. Still, it must have been unnerving for them.

Suddenly, a shorter, more slouched man came out. He was wearing a more darker robe, which led me to believe he was the Advisor that Shantae told me about on our way here. He seemed to be happy, and relieved of our presence. "You've returned! And not a moment too soon...the ritual is close!" The Advisor suddenly said, grinning with his hands out.

Shantae only sighed. "Sorry, but we're not here for any ritual." She explained. "We have this map, and-"

Suddenly, very large men came out from hiding and stood guard behind the Advisor. They were much taller than what was normal, and they seemed very..muscly. They wore gold plated armor, which was decorated with animal skins, which also acted as a hood to cloak their faces. To say the least, I felt _very_ threatened.

"What do you mean?" The Advisor asked, confused. "You _are_ the princess, are you not?"

"Princess?" Shantae asked. Then she groaned. "No, we've been over this. I look nothing like-"

"I am!" Rotty suddenly interrupted, pushing past Shantae to stand up front. "I'm the princess! And I request to be dressed accordingly!"

"Wait, I'm confused..." The Advisor said, looking over the three of us. "Which one of you is the princess?"

"Ugh..we're _not_ the princess! Where did she even go this time?!" Shantae asked, clearly annoyed. But I heard a hint of worry in her voice.

"She left to go visit her in-laws." The Advisor said, rubbing his chin. "She left yesterday. Right when we were coming up to the ritual too.."

"Then you see..!" Shantae said. "If she's been gone to visit family, she'd be gone longer than one day! We just need to look around for any hints on where our map leads!"

The Advisor thought to himself for a long moment. "That is good reasoning..." He said. "Still. Can't take any chances. The ritual is tomorrow. We need our princess. Guards, take them to the royal rooms. And for goodness sake, get them dressed _properly_."

The guards then started to march towards us. Before anyone could react, Shantae and Rotty were grabbed by separate guards and pulled away. I started to follow them.

"Hang on a minute!" I said. But Shantae looked at me and shook her head.

"It's fine!" She said. "Just look for the way!"

"Ok!" I called to her, though unsure of leaving her and Rotty in the hands of these people. "I'll-"

Before I could finish, a third guard came up and grabbed my arm. I looked up, confused. "What's going on? Am I being kicked out?" I asked.

"What? Oh, goodness no!" The Advisor said. "I said I can't take any chances..besides, you look _exactly_ like the princess!" He said with glee.

It took me a moment to process what he said, and realization hit me like a truck. "Oh, _fuck no_." I mumbled, trying to escape the grasp of the guard. But he was far too strong.

"Y/N!" I heard Shantae yell, who likely saw me getting dragged away just as helplessly as they had. The guard pulled me into a hallway, leading me to what I can only say would be the worst day of my life. Within only ten minutes, I had all of my stuff taken away from me, including my knapsack, which had my map in it. They even took my _clothes_. I was put into an ornate outfit much too fast for me to tell what was even going on, and thrown into the fanciest cell I've ever seen.

When I finally got my bearings, I looked around the cell. It was very...comfortable. There was a resting chair that looked far too expensive for even what I was going to be paying for my _house._ There were several pillows, rugs, and furniture. There was even a standing mirror. I walked up to it and looked at myself. My face flushed white instantly.

Un- _fucking_ -believable.

I looked like a space princess. My hair, despite being short, was braided in a fancy, royal style. I had a circlet on that had a serpent statue protruding from the front. As for what they put on my body, they dressed me like I was a skimpy space prostitute. They put a fucking _bra_ on me. I even had a fancy man-skirt on, which still ended up looking girly on me. I was covered in golden jewelry and braces.

I immediately started to take everything off. I took off the circlet, freed my hair from the braidings, took the bra off and jewelry. The only thing I kept on was the skirt, as to make sure I wasn't completely naked. But even with all of that off of me, I still felt humiliated to even be dressed like that.

I sat down on the resting chair, and looked towards the door. It was a barred cell door with a key lock on it. I wasn't sure if there was any way to get out. But I didn't mind waiting. I just hoped that Rotty and Shantae were safe. The best I could do was wait. _For now._ Maybe after this 'ritual' the Advisor was talking about, they'd let us go. Whatever it was, it sounded important.

I decided to take the opportunity to get some rest. So I laid down on the chair, relaxing and looking out the door. I started to do my best to memorize the pattern in the guards movements, and eventually, I fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8: The Ritual

I woke up after several hours. Or at least, it felt like several hours. It was hard to tell when you're holed up in a cell inside a temple. But what I did know was that I was _starving._ And I was still wearing this space princess getup.

This sucked.

I looked up to the cell door. A guard was now standing directly beside it, with his back turned to me, as though he was protecting me, and not watching me. From his backside, I saw a key hanging from his hip loosely. I got a dangerous idea and slowly got up. I approached the door slowly and quietly, before slowly outstretching my arm. I carefully grabbed the key from his hip, careful not to make any sounds with the metal.

It _worked._ The guard didn't notice a thing. Still, I couldn't just leave with him standing there, so I walked back quietly to my chair and laid back down, pretending to be asleep. Eventually, after what felt like forever, the guard left in what seemed like a hurry. I came back up to the door and looked around. No one was there. Not even the servants. I wondered what the rush was about, but I decided not to be picky about it and started to unlock the cell door. It swung open, a little more loudly than I had hoped. I quietly rushed out of the cell, roaming the large room of cells before me.

I had to find Shantae and Rotty, then I had to find our stuff. Luckily all of the cells were kept close together. So with the key I had, I opened each individual cell door, looking inside. To my shock, _none_ of the cells had Shantae or Rotty inside. That must have meant they already broke out. My first question was how come they never came to get me, but then my next question was if they were safe. Maybe they never even broken out at all? What if they were sacrificed in preparation of this important ritual? What if _I_ was next?!

 _Keep looking,_ I thought to myself. _Don't give up on them yet._

I left the large room and entered a maze of hallways. It was darker than I expected. No torches at all. Just occasional rays of sunlight. It was so dark I couldn't even see. I carefully snuck through the darkness. At first, I admittedly felt kind of cool roaming the shadows and all that. But then I walked into something big and took a step back.

Whatever I ran into, I couldn't see. But it was definitely _alive._ It turned to face me, and as my eyes adjusted, I realized that I just ran into a _guard._

"Oh." I said quietly. "Well, fuck me I guess."

The guard grabbed my arm and started to drag me. This time I didn't even struggle. I knew it was pointless. But to my surprise, I wasn't being taken back to the cell. I was being brought into another room. Before I could get a good glimpse of my surroundings, I was suddenly redressed, just as quickly as the first time. Although it happened fast, this time I could tell what I was wearing. I was wearing a pair of bright, glistening yellow shorts and several gold braces that wrapped around my forearm. At least this time I wasn't wearing anything humiliating, but it was still a surprise.

I didn't wear anything above the waist, other than the braces. I was shirtless. Which I didn't mind, of course. Better than wearing a _bra._

I was then dragged away again. It started to get old. At that point, I just wished I could have walked normally with them. But there was no helping it. Before I even knew it, I was brought outside, in what seemed like a hidden courtyard with a wide, short alter in the middle. Placed at the center of the alter was some kind of wide bench. Or a _bed._ I wondered what there was a bed there for.

I did notice that there were crowds of servants and people standing at the edges of the courtyard, watching the alter with intent. On the alter was the Royal Advisor who caused all of this ruckus, and his posse of guards behind him.

I was dragged before him, now at the center of attention of the entire courtyard. As the guards began to place chains long enough to be a leash on me, I took a look around, then looked down at the Advisor. "..What, so am I supposed to dance for everyone or something?" I questioned sarcastically.

"Not exactly..." The Advisor said. He took a few steps back, and then some of the guards stepped away. That's when I noticed that Shantae had been hidden behind them. And she was _hot._

 _"Holy shit."_ I muttered under my breath.

She had the same princess getup they put me in hours ago, but on her, it looked really sexy. The top that barely covered her breasts were accented in gold with a swirling wind design. She wore panties with the same accented design, and a small veil to go over her behind. Her long, purple hair was braided all the way to the end. She had the same leash chains on her as well, giving her that sexy space princess vibe.

 _Yup,_ I thought to myself. _I can die happy now._

She seemed pretty embarrassed being like that. I didn't know if it was because she was in front of the entire population of the temple, or if it was because she was in front of me. I decided to stop staring at her so much regardless.

"Shantae!" I ran up to her, and the guards that surrounded her began to back off the alter. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine.." She said. "They never hurt me. And Rotty is somewhere. I helped her escape before I got caught.."

"Rotty's free? That's good." I said. "I tried to escape too, before I was caught." Shantae looked up at me. She seemed to be eyeing my chest a little.

" _You_ never got a dress.." She mumbled.

I decided to take the opportunity to cheer her up. Even in a situation like this. "Well..when they grabbed me the first time, they put me in that exact same outfit."

"Wait, _seriously?"_ She questioned, holding in a laugh. "That's hilarious..I wish I got to you yesterday then.."

" _Yesterday?!"_ I questioned. "How long was I asleep for?!"

"About eight to ten hours." The Advisor suddenly said, now approaching us. "And you woke up just in time for the ritual!"

"Right, that...I've been meaning to ask, what's this ritual even about? Isn't this something the _real_ princess should be doing?" I asked the Advisor, with suppressed malice towards him. I might have been holding a grudge for mistaking me as a princess.

"Yeah, and I know that _you know_ that we're not the princess." Shantae added, crossing her arms.

The Advisor squirmed a little, now under pressure. Finally, he spilled it. "Alright, fine. I knew from the start that none of you were the princess." He admitted. "But she's still gone, and this ritual has to be done _right now._ And with the other girl gone..." He eyed both of us separately. "..you two need to do it!"

"Why both of us?" I questioned. "I mean, what even is this ritual?"

"This is a ritual that's been done by our ancestors for thousands of years! As I said, we need the princess to complete it, or in this case, a _temporary_ princess. But we also need a suitable volunteer to complete the ritual with her. But because not even _one_ of us would even dare to complete this ceremony without the princess..." He suddenly pointed at me. " _You_ must do it!"

"Ah, ok. Gotcha." I responded. "But that still doesn't entirely answer the question.." I looked at Shantae. She was being quiet all of a sudden, blushing to herself.

"I-I know what it is..." Shantae said, looking at me, with an embarrassed expression. I returned it with a puzzled look. "We..we have to.."

"You two need to commerce sexually to please the Gods!" The Advisor suddenly butted in. I would have thought he was joking, but Shantae's face said it all. I blushed harder than I ever had. The realization washed over. The alter, the bed, the crowds of servants watching, the skimpy outfit...well, that might have been a thing anyways.

"Y-You mean we h-have to..." I stammered. I looked at the Advisor. "I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure we never signed up for this! I know this ritual is important and all, but we can't just-"

"If it's with you.." Shantae said quietly, as though she were speaking only to me. "Then..I don't mind..."

I had to take a long moment to process what she had just said. Was she really agreeing to this?! "Shantae.." I said. It was the only thing I _could_ say.

"Fantastic!" The Advisor said. "I'll go join the spectators...just remember not to be too..revealing. The Gods are watching and so are we!" He said, before leaving us alone to be watched by hundreds of people.

Shantae walked up to me. I looked her up and down before finally managing to piece a sentence together. "Shantae, are you really okay with.." Before I could finish, she put her fingers to my lips, shushing me.

 _"Just play along."_ She whispered to me. _"I have a plan."_

All I could do was nod understandingly. Her suddenly compliance to this ridiculous ritual made a lot more sense. I was even relieved. Not that I _didn't_ want to have sex with Shantae, of course. I just didn't want to do it in front of the _entire Temple populace._

Shantae slowly began to lay me down on the ceremonial bed, getting on top to straddle me. Despite her simply putting on an act, she really did do it in a sexy way. My mind knew she wasn't being serious, but my body...I was glad I was wearing pants again, to say the least.

Everyone was silent. There were no sounds other than the clinking noises our chains made as we shifted. Shantae looked down at me. She was blushing. Then, she spoke loudly.

"Oh, Y/N..I've always wanted this~!" She said dramatically. I was a little lost on where she was going. But then her hands started to move up her own body, taking ahold of her breastplated bra.

"Just take me now~!!" She yelled, before pulling her bra off entirely and flashing the entire spectating crowd. At first, I was completely shocked. But I didn't look away this time. I had a perfect view of her mocha-skin colored breasts. Her nipples were starting to perk up a little after being exposed to the air. This time, I really _did_ have a nosebleed.

I could barely hear the Advisor from the crowd. "P-Princess, stop showing off such vulgar skin!" At that point, I realized that unlike me, _everyone_ had started to look away completely, not daring to even take a peek at her _perfect_ breasts.

 _I was still amazed by them, yes. Can you blame me?_

I looked over to see Rottytops appear from the crowd, rushing onto the alter with what appeared to be some sort of golden, ceremonial battleaxe. She ran right up to the chains, and swung down as hard as she could, breaking the links easily. The sound must have alerted the guards, who were _also_ looking away, because they looked back up at us, only to see us start to bolt off of the alter.

"Get them!!" The Advisor yelled, as an _army_ of guards chased after us.

"This way!" Shantae yelled as she covered her breasts up again, quickly making a turn into the hallways. Me and Rotty followed her quickly. Luckily, with the guards being so large, outrunning them wasn't that hard. Shantae seemed to know exactly where she was going. We eventually reached a room that looked like it was purposefully set away from the cell room. Shantae opened the door, and I saw a _lot_ of random stuff. Bags, suitcases, clothes..it was like a giant collection room.

 _This must be where they take everyone's stuff,_ I thought to myself.

Shantae ran over to one of the tables and picked up a pile of clothes. "Here's our stuff! Let's get out of here, I found something!" She said, as she tossed me my knapsack. With a quick peak to see that I had everything, I stuffed all of our clothes inside of it, and we quickly started to run out into the hallway again.

We managed to escape the sight of the guards. They didn't seem to see where we went. Shantae brought us into an empty hallway, and quickly rushed into a belly dance. I was a little too panicked to fully appreciate it, but it was especially sexy in her princess outfit.

"Transform!" She said, before turning into an elephant. She bashed right into the empty wall, which pushed out a perfectly cut out square into it. Me and Rotty rushed in, as Elephant-Shantae followed inside with loud stomps. She then bashed into the block which pushed the square cutout right back into place, sealing off the secret entrance.

After Shantae turned back to normal, I looked around at where we were. We were in a slightly large entrance room, which had only one door right ahead of us. There were torches, but they were dim. I realized that we just entered a secret dungeon.

"Alright.." I started to say, opening up my knapsack for everyone. "Let's all get out of these _ridiculous_ outfits."

"While I really love how this hugs my boobs tightly, I'll have you carry it so it doesn't get ruined!" Rotty said, getting her clothes from the sack. She immediately started to undress, which I didn't mind. I couldn't help but watch for a few seconds, though. Then Shantae grumbled as she came up to me.

"Hey, pervert. Don't stare." She said, obviously a little annoyed. I chuckled.

"Sorry, I know..it's rude." I said. Shantae got her clothes from my knapsack and turned her back to me.

"Look away, doofus." She said with a short laugh. I did as she said, taking the time to get dressed into my normal clothes as well. I threw aside the royal getup on the floor. I had no need for it. When I turned around, Shantae had already gotten completely dressed. She was getting the last of braiding undone. "I swear, they never change.." She said with a sigh.

"So last time they put you guys in those clothes.." I started to say. "Did they ever try that kind of thing?" I asked, recalling how Shantae knew what the ritual was supposed to be about.

" _God no._ I overheard the Advisor discussing it with someone while I was sneaking around." Shantae replied. "That's why after getting Rotty out, I came to get you. But Rotty and I came up with that backup plan in case one of us got caught.."

"Ah, good." I said, sighing in relief. "Glad you never took part in that ritual..."

Shantae raised her eyebrow at me, before smirking a little. "Oh? And why's that?" She asked accusingly.

I began to lose my cool again. "W-Well, I didn't mean that in any unprofessional way..I just meant from experiencing it overall! I didn't mean it like that..."

Shantae laughed a little before coming up to me. "You know, I said _play along,_ but that doesn't mean I was entirely lying.." She said, almost teasingly. Before I could respond, Shantae turned her back to me.

"Alright, the treasure has to be somewhere around here!" She said. Be sure to navigate us there, Y/N!" And with that, she headed through the door.

I just stared, puzzled at what Shantae just said. Rotty gave me a nudge. "Don't miss your shot, handsome." She said, before following Shantae.

 _Never planned to._ I thought to myself. Then, I pulled out the map and followed them inside.


	9. Chapter 9: So Close, Yet So Far

It was now day three in my week long journey to magically get the money to buy my house. And here I was, searching a dungeon for treasure. I did my best to navigate us through the maze of hallways that made up the dungeon, with _us_ being me, Shantae and Rottytops. What made it difficult was that the map simply showed the path, not the entire dungeon. Still, everyone seemed to be filled with energy and excitement. But after what Shantae said when we managed to escape the temple guards, there was an awkward tension between us, like there were things to be said, but we weren't saying them.

I had to come to terms with my feelings for Shantae. She had a sexy body, yes. But there was so much more to her, and I've gotten to know her really well over the past few days. She was always excited to go on new adventures and experience new things, and she always valued her relationship with everyone around her the most. She was confident, but was also just as shy, although I've come to learn that she was only like that with _me,_ which made it that much more cuter. I never really thought about a serious relationship when I was leaving behind my old life. I always thought I wouldn't find someone like Shantae.

And yet here she was, closely walking right beside me. I glanced at her. She was looking at the ground, with her hands behind her back. She seemed to be in thought as well. What could she be thinking about?

I then looked behind us to see Rottytops looking around excitedly, wandering off for moments at a time to look at something out of place, before catching back up to us. With Rotty being easily distracted, I thought that maybe this was a chance to say something to Shantae. I took a deep breath, calming down the butterflies that began to form in my stomach.

"I-"

Before I could even _start,_ something jumped out from a crack in the ceiling and placed itself right over my face. I couldn't see what it was, but it was _slimy._ "Get it off!!!" I yelled only to be muffled, trying to pry whatever it was off of my face. But it clutched down onto my head tightly, refusing to be pulled off.

"Hold on, Y/N!" Shantae said, as her and Rottytops both started to help try to pull it off. Eventually, its hold on me gave in, and the three of us launched it right into the floor. I wiped my face off and looked at the creature. It was some sort of large beetle monster. It hissed angrily and charged at us, although it could only go so fast on its small legs.

"Fireball!" Shantae said, stretching her arm out and pointing two fingers at the beetle. Suddenly, a ball of fire formed right from her fingertips, shooting out right at the beetle monster and burning it. The creature hissed angrily, flipping itself on its backside before going still, defeated by the fire magic.

I would have questioned Shantae's ability to shoot _fireballs_ , but I was far too busy using the handkerchief from my bag to wipe my face off of slime. "Bluegh..."

"What was that, some kind of bug monster thing?" Rotty asked, kneeling down to look at the now dead beetle monster. Shantae looked at the defeated monster and shrugged.

"Who knows? I've never seen one..but it was surprisingly weak." Shantae said.

After wiping my face off, I simply tossed aside the now-filthy handkerchief. "Well, whatever it was, it's dead now, which is all that matters.."

"No, what matters is why you have a _handkerchief!"_ Rotty suddenly added, laughing at me. I rolled my eyes in response.

"Yeah, ha-ya. Next time, when a beetle hops on _your_ face, I'm gonna remember that." I replied jokingly.

"Personally, I think it's good to be prepared.." Shantae said. "Although, I don't know why you thought to bring a handkerchief, but not any sunscreen.."

"That's not important..!" I suddenly said. "The important thing is, we're all safe and sound, despite the dangers we were faced with!"

"You mean the dangers of having sex with Shantae?" Rotty asked with a small snort.

Both me and Shantae blushed furiously. "W-We're moving past that now!" I said. "What matters now is getting that treasure, so that all of this wasn't for nothing!"

Shantae looked down sadly before continuing to walk down the straight path. Did I say something? Rotty looked at me and shrugged. Looks like she was just as confused. Still, no reason not to ask about it. Rotty gave me a look, as if to say, ' _Go ahead, talk to her.'_ That, and she nodded at her direction. Hard to misread that.

So I took her advice and caught up to Shantae. She didn't seem _too_ upset, but she didn't seem happy, or at least, as happy as she should be. Isn't exploring dungeons one of her favorite activities?

"You ok, Shantae?" I asked sincerely, trying to get a better read from her expression. Shantae only looked up at me.

"Y/N, do you like me?" Shantae asked bluntly.

I took a short moment to process the sudden question. I did my best not to get flustered, although it already began to show. "D-Do I like you?" I repeated, probably making the question far more awkward than it was. "I mean..yeah, I like you. I've only known you for a few days but you're already my closest friend in Sequin Land."

Shantae gave a soft sigh, before giving me a smile. But the smile seemed to hide a different feeling she had. "I'm relieved, thank you. I guess I was just worried about..." She looked forward, before seeing a small, yet ornately decorated door. On each side of the door was an entrance into another hallways. "What's this..?"

The three of us gathered around the door. I glanced down at my map, then back up to the door. "If we followed the path correctly, this should be the way to the treasure.." I said, carefully touching the door handle, as if my very touch would stain the golden shine permanently. I gripped the handle, and opened the door. What we found was shocking.

It was an underground _garden._ I had to hand it to the gardener too, because it was absolutely beautiful. Almost sacred. A sizable waterfall rushed through a big crack in the ceiling, which made me wonder where the source of the water was.

 _We were still in the desert, right?_

The waterfall created a gorgeous, clean stream of water that rushed all around the garden, which brought my attention to the thriving green grass with patches of flowers of all kinds scattered around. The ground was intricately designed with natural earth and carved stone, making curved designs in the very ground. There were lamp torches placed around the stone paths, giving the garden light.

At the center of the garden was a circular, flat alter that raised only a few inches from the ground. It looked like as though it was meant for some kind of performance. Or ritual. If so, I was only hoping it wasn't as sexual as the one the temple had. At least there wasn't an audience here..except for Rottytops.

The last thing I noticed, which honestly should have been the first, was the _massive_ stone door opposite of the entrance. From the old look, I could tell it hadn't been opened in a _long_ time. And it seemed to be sealed off, never to be opened again. The seal was right at the lower center of the door, with a steal dragon's head protruding out to the alter. The dragon's mouth was gaping open.

"Huh." I said, completely stunned at the scenery. "Well I'll be damned."

"It's so beautiful!" Shantae said with glee, rushing into the garden. Rotty followed.

"I dunno..could use some more dead grass here and there.." Rotty said, as if she were some sort of garden critic. I followed them, looking down at the green grass. I knelt down, gently running my hand through the thin blades. It was... _soft_. I figured I wasn't the only one to notice this, because Shantae and Rotty both had already plopped down in the grass, rolling around.

Shantae released a pleasant sigh. "This feels amazing~!" She said with glee. "After being chased and walking for so many hours, this is relaxing..."

Rotty grinned and spread her arms across the grass. "I'm not even tired and I still feel a lot better!" She said.

I only chuckled a little. While I wasn't ready to plop down in the grass, despite how tempting it was, I still figured we could all use some time to relax. I stood up and walked across the alter, approaching the large stone door. I ran my hand across the intricate design carved into it. My fingertips rubbed the dust off from the stone ridges.

"This doesn't look like it's opening anytime soon..." I said. I noticed Shantae approach the door beside me, observing it just as I did. "Shantae, do you think you can bust this open?"

Shantae shook her head. "The best I got is my elephant dance, and even that can only handle large blocks..this is far bigger than anything I can open." She said.

"Damn..." I muttered. "Maybe there's a key somewhere in the dungeon.." I rubbed my chin, feeling stumped.

Shantae smiled at me with excitement. She obviously had dealt with this sort of thing before, and knew what we had to do. But she seemed to want me to try to figure it out. So I decided to take a stab at it.

"Hm..there were two hallway entrances on either side of the entrance to this room.." I started to say. "Maybe there's a way to open this thing down one of those.." I gave Shantae a hopeful smile.

She grinned at me. "Sounds like a great idea!" She said. "But right now, I'm a little tired..can we take a break?" She asked.

Before I could even answer, Rotty butted into the conversation.

"Why not just sleep for the night? It's already getting close to sunset." She said to Shantae.

"Wait, what?" I asked her. "H-How do you even know that? How long have we been down here?!"

Rotty rolled her eyes. "Many, many hours, for sure. And also, I'm a _zombie_. It's like, my job to know when it's night." She said, crossing her arms as if that was supposed to be obvious. Of course, I was still lost, but Shantae didn't say anything. So I didn't either.

"Well, as long as no bugs crawl in our hairs, we'll be fine sleeping right on the grass." I said with a grin, expecting the girls to freak out over it.

"Bugs never hurt anyone! At least, they won't hurt me!" Rotty said with a smile, ruffling her own hair a little.

Shantae only shrugged. "And if there's any bugs in my hair, I'll just whip them out." She said.

I blinked once. "Wait, so I'm the only one who needs to worry about that?" I asked, pointing to myself.

Rotty only grinned and came up to me, messing my hair up. "Yup! You're the only full human here, but it shouldn't be that bad!" She said.

What she said made me realize that she was right. I _was_ the only human. Between the three of us, I felt indifferent, especially to Shantae. She was far more powerful than me.

My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a large bashing sound. I looked over towards the entrance to see that Shantae had turned into an elephant. She had bashed into a stone block to barricade the door, so nothing could get inside. With a puff of smoke, she was back in her human form. She walked back up to us. Shantae yawned, before simply falling back on the grass. "Less talking, more sleeping..." She said, already beginning to doze off.

Rotty grinned before laying down as well. She seemed a little too chipper for someone getting ready to sleep. "See you guys in the morning! I'll be sure to wake you up!" She said.

"Alright..goodnight guys." I said, setting my knapsack down and laying back on the soft grass. It almost felt like a felt blanket over a firm mattress. I was actually surprised by how comfortable it was.

"Mm..goodnight Y/N.." Shantae mumbled in her sleep.

I sprawled my body out, staring up at the dark ceiling. I sighed softly, thinking to myself about what Rotty said. I closed my eyes, shifted slightly and trying to go to sleep.

But despite how comfortable the grass was, I couldn't help but stay awake.


	10. Chapter 10: Awesome Mech Fight!

It was still the middle of the night, as far as I know. And yet there I was, still awake. My body ached for sleep. I had been walking and running all day, but I just couldn't go to sleep. At some point I had gotten up and headed down to the stream after checking if the other two were still asleep.

And so there I sat, watching the rushing water flow down the stream. I couldn't help but think about Shantae. No surprise there. She had been on my mind for the past few days. At this point, I would have made some sort of move on her. But I couldn't. I wasn't sure if she would continue to like me. She was some sort of _half genie hero_ , and I was human.

"Hey, watcha doin' over here?" A voice suddenly asked from behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around to see Rottytops standing behind me, lively as ever.

"Ah, Sorry Rotty, did I wake you up?" I asked.

Rotty shook her head. "Nah. Sleeping isn't really that easy for me anyways. I get weird dreams sometimes." She said. Then she sat down by the stream, right next to me. "So what's up? Normally spending time next to a stream at night is cliché for having something on your mind."

 _She had a point._

There was no reason to lie to her. Besides, talking about it might do some good. "Well..it's about Shantae.." I began to say. "I.."

"You love her, right?!" Rotty suddenly finished my sentence, grinning smugly.

I got flustered. "S-Shh! You might wake her!" I said. "B-But, yeah...I'm pretty sure I love her..."

"You know, she's no good at hiding it either. She likes you too." Rotty said. "So I don't see the problem, just go for it!"

I contemplated it for a moment. "But..the thing is, what if I can't live up to her expectations?" I asked.

Rotty looked at me with a confused expression. She tilted her head a little. "What do you mean?" She asked.

I thought about it for a moment, trying to turn my feelings into words. "I mean..you said it earlier. I'm human. I don't think that's a bad thing, but she's half genie. She's so much more powerful than I am, and she loves this sort of thing. She practically _begged_ me to come with her. But the thing is, I'm not really cut out for this particular activity. Most of my fights had to do with crazy luck, or being saved." I explained.

Rotty frowned a little. "That's not _entirely_ true." She said. "I mean, you're not a good fighter. But you're smart. And you can improvise. I saw how you fought that Scorpgal when you both saved me. You were pretty awesome!" Rotty smiled a little. "And Shantae told me about how you destroyed Ammo Barons ship! It was lucky, but also pretty smart!"

I shrugged. "But, I didn't use any sort of magic, or any special _transformation_...it's just..what if she realizes I'm not good enough for her?" I asked. "I mean...you're a zombie girl, so you must get what I'm saying at least a little bit." I looked back towards the water. In a way, I knew Rotty was right. I was being ridiculous. But I couldn't rid myself of these doubts I had.

Rotty thought to herself for a moment. She started to shift, but I didn't pay much attention to what she was doing. I felt her hand grab onto my wrist, lifting my hand from the ground and pulling it towards her. I looked up to her, just in time to see her place my hand right over her bare breast.

 _She had taken her shirt off._ I saw it laying in the grass right beside her. I also noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra, which made me think about how she hadn't been wearing one this whole time. Rotty had a small blush on her face, which made me think about how that might not have been anatomically possible for someone who was technically _dead._

"R-Rotty, what are you-" I started to say, stammering. But Rotty interrupted me.

"I am a _zombie_ , but I'm a girl too." She said, catching me off guard. "And so is Shantae. It doesn't matter if you can match up to her genie side. What matters is if you can make her happy. And from what I can tell, you _do_ make her happy."

I sat there, unable to say anything. Both by the fact that she was right, and the fact that I was still groping her breast. Eventually, she let go of my wrist, and I simply let my hand fall to my side. As I sat there in silence, she started to put her shirt back on. "Don't stay up too long, I'm sure tomorrow will be just as tiring for you." She said as she stood up, beginning to walk away.

"W-Wait! I know you're right about what you said, but..why did I have to _touch you_ to get that?" I asked curiously, still sort of unsure of what happened.

Rotty looked back at me before grinning. "Oh! You didn't have to. Truth is, I kind of like you too!" She said, before walking away, leaving me in disbelief.

I sat there in silence, thinking about all the things Rotty said. I realized that she was right. I was just being stupid about how Shantae must have felt. I did want to find the treasure, and Shantae wants to help me. But she was also excited to have someone come with her, so I needed to show her that I was enjoying my time with her as well. I didn't have to be an expert fighter or adventurer to tag along with her.

Realizing that I was still very tired, I decided it was probably best to go to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll be getting the treasure. And I don't want to be too tired for when we finally get it. So I walked back over to my spot and laid down. I glanced at Shantae, who was still asleep. Then, I closed my eyes, drifting off into a much needed slumber.

Hours later, I woke up to see Rotty shaking me. _Hard._ "Come on! Rise and shine!" She said. I started to sit up, groaning tiredly. I glanced around to see that Shantae had already woken up. She was observing the alter more.

"It's morning already?" I asked, almost annoyed to be woken up like that. But I decided to let it go. "I feel like I didn't get much sleep.."

"That's because you stayed up so late, dummy." Rotty responded. "But don't think for a second I'm letting you sleep in! Today's the day we're getting that treasure!" She finally let go of me and started to hop around the garden in excitement.

I started to get up, stretching my arms. While I felt a little tired, I was surprised that I didn't have a stiff neck at all, despite sleeping with no pillow.

 _Guess I'm just lucky,_ I thought.

Shantae came up to me with a bright smile, picking up my knapsack and handing it to me. "Mornin' sleepy head! I didn't think Rotty would be able to ever wake you up. You were out cold...did you have trouble sleeping?" She asked.

 _Why did she always have to be so cute?_

I returned her smile and took my bag from her, slinging it over my shoulder. "Not really. I just had a lot on my mind is all." I said simply.

Shantae's smile faded slightly. But she still tried to look happy. "Ah, I see. Sorry about all this..I know you must not like it out here.." She said, brushing her hair out of the way of her face and looking away.

I chuckled a little before shrugging. "Honestly, it's not that bad. This is the most excitement I've had in a long while." I said. "Hell, if you'd want me to, I'd like to go on more trips like this with you."

Shantae practically glowed at me. "Really? I didn't think you were enjoying this.." She said. But she couldn't suppress her smile. "I would love if you came with me! I'll let you know the next time I head out!" She said excitedly.

I grinned. "Alright, it's a date then." I said. Shantae only blushed deeply in response before walking towards the entrance of the garden, as if rushing to get away from me. At first I thought I shouldn't have said that, but I managed to get a glimpse of her shy smile. I looked towards Rotty, who grinned and gave me a thumbs up. Then we both followed Shantae out the door after she pushed away the block that barricaded it.

Once we were all standing out in the hallway again, I glanced down both hallways that went to the left and right sides of the entrance. "Hm.." I rubbed my chin. "Which way do you think it is?" I asked.

"Well, in my experience with these sorts of things, I think it doesn't matter." Shantae said. "Either both hallways lead to one half of the solution, or they both lead to the same place, just on different sides."

"Ok, then I think we should head right first." I said. "It's probably not a good idea to split up. That bug monster from yesterday was weak, but there could still be something really strong lurking."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Rotty said, jokingly saluting me. I rolled my eyes in response, then looked at Shantae. She only smirked.

"Lead the way, 'Captain.'" She said. I sighed in defeat and looked down right side hallway. I began to walk down the hall, with the two girls following close behind.

The hallway was pretty short, debunking Shantae's earlier guess that it lead to the same way the left hallway did. Once we got to the end, we ended up in a large, wide open room. There was an enormous hole in the ground that divided the room into two sides. On the other side of the divide was nothing but a single, small chest. By the looks of it, it was already opened. Jumping across would have been impossible but luckily, there was a metal bridge going from one side to the other.

I walked up to the bridge and ran my fingers along the metal. It was sturdy, and... _blue_. There was something familiar about the design. Could it be...?

"Ammo Baron." Shantae said, finishing my train of thought. "He must be around here."

"Not exactly!" A female voice suddenly said from behind us. When we turned around, I noticed the two _mecha robots_ hiding behind us in the shadows. They started to move towards us, with the gears and mechanisms whizzing with life. Both mechs were tall, but not much taller than ten feet. The chassis' were open, revealing the pilots that controlled them. They were two females, both of them blonde with stylishblue uniforms on.

"Twitch? Vinegar? What are you guys doing here?" Shantae asked, taken aback by the mechs they were piloting. And so was I. They were very intimidating. By the way they reacted to their names, I was able to tell them apart from one another. Twitch was the one with her goggles placed over her eyes. She wore a large blue helmet with a cartoonish cat face over it, with two raccoon tails sticking from the back. She had a small, tight shirt that hugged her breasts against her chest and showed off her stomach. _A common fashion choice in Sequin Land, I've noticed._ She had a blue skirt and a rather large gun with a multitude of barrels strapped to her leg. She was piloting the heavier mech with a large assortment of weapons loaded onto its shoulders and arms, including what I figured to be stun launchers, taser rifles and some sort of gatling gun.

The other one, Vinegar, wore a similar blue helmet and skirt, but had an orange collared shirt on that also tightly hugged her body. She had pink stripes on each of her cheeks, and blue high top boots.

She piloted the lighter mech that actually had no arms or guns. But the legs were more reinforced and nimble. It looked lighter too, so it could probably move faster.

And there I was, with nothing but a knapsack with random shit in it.

"We're here on duty!" Vinegar said, smirking a little at Shantae. "The higher ups sent us to get that treasure to fund the military!"

Twitch took her hands away from the controls of her mech to hold out some sort of scroll. "We have one of the keys to opening that big door! Now we just gotta nab the other one and we'll get promoted for sure!" She said with glee.

I blinked a little. What I wanted to say was, _'Not if I have anything to say about it!'_ But I was afraid she would point one of those canons at me and blast me into dust if I spoke up.

Still, that didn't stop Shantae. "As if! We didn't come this far to let you guys take the treasure!" She said, looking determined as ever. I decided to mimic her reaction and stood my ground. Besides, I really did need that treasure, so if there was going to be a fight, so be it.

"I'm gonna hide over here if you guys need me!" Rotty said, with suppressed fear as she took a number of large steps back. Not that I blamed her, of course.

"Alright then! It's on! Twitch, _Battle Formation Alpha!"_ Vinegar called out triumphantly. Twitch seemed to get back to her controls and strided her mech back several feet, her guns beginning to wind up on command.

Shantae tried to start a transformation dance, but Twitch fired a stun grenade at her, interrupting her dance with a blinding flash.

"I won't let you transform, bitch!" Twitch said with a menacing grin. Shantae regained her sight and looked at her angrily.

"Fine, then I'll stick to my spells!" Shantae said, before launching a fireball at Twitch. "Fireball!" Twitch's mech was far too heavy to move quickly enough to dodge it, but it didn't seem to do a lot of damage. Shantae grumbled before stretching both arms out at equal length. "Scimitars!" She called. Suddenly, a dozen curved swords appeared from behind her, floating around in a circle around her as they rotated. One of the swords flew over to me, landing by my feet. Figuring she gave it to me on purpose, I picked it up quickly.

"I can take Twitch!" Shantae said. "See what you can do about Vinegar!" And with that, Shantae charged at Twitch, who began to shoot her guns at Shantae.

"Okay, I'll do my b—" Before I could answer, Vinegar's mech strided quickly towards be, kicking me right in the gut and launching me across the floor. "Gah—!" I groaned, struggling to get back up on my feet.

"What's the matter, good lookin'? Can't handle a little rough play~?" Vinegar cooed in an evil tone. I straightened myself up, looking at her. I couldn't help but give her a smug grin.

"Baby, I'm too rough for you to handle.." I bluffed. But even I wasn't sure I could stand up to her _mechanized suit._ Still, I noticed that there were hydraulic hoses exposed on the legs. I gripped the handle of the scimitar and eyed her down. If I could cut them as she rushed me, I could immobilize the entire mech. And since she had no weapons, the mech would be useless. So I got into a stance, practically inviting her to charge again.

"Is that so?" Vinegar grinned, the mech whizzing as it crouched into a running stance. "Then show me what you got!" Suddenly, the mech leaped at me, rushing me faster than I expected. Still, I had time to react. I stepped to the side and swung my scimitar straight into the legs. I managed to dig the blade deep into the mech's left leg, cutting the hydraulics as planned. But the mech stumbled in response and fell on me, nearly crushing me.

"Gah! You idiot!!" Vinegar yelled in anger in her now ruined mech. "Do you know how much work it was to build this thing?!" She started to force the chassis open, hopping out.

I groaned as I climbed out from underneath the mech, looking over to where Twitch and Shantae were fighting. Twitch had the upper hand. Clearly she built her mech to counter Shantae's dances and spells with her stun and shock launchers. Shantae brought her hand together, trying to start some sort of lightning spell. But Twitch launched a taser gun at her, and the probes stuck to her, the wires shocking her with no mercy. Shantae yelled in pain.

I had to help. I struggled a little to pull the scimitar out of Vinegar's mech leg, but I managed to force it out. I started to run to Twitch. Since her back was towards me, I had to advantage.

"Twitch! Look—" Vinegar almost warned her, but Rotty came up to her from behind and put her hand over her mouth. I made the mental note to thank Rotty later.

I ran up to Twitch's mech and jumped up, landing on its back.

"What the—?" Twitch muttered, trying to turn towards me. But I was holding on tight. I stabbed the scimitar into the taser rifle, destroying it. The shock wires deactivated, freeing Shantae.

Shantae pulled the probe off of her and looked at Twitch. "Now it's your turn!" Shantae said, straightening her body and bringing her hands together again. Powerful sparks of electricity came from the space in between her hands as she charged her spell. I hopped off the mech, knowing what was coming.

Shantae suddenly fired a beam of lightning at Twitch, shocking the mech with powerful waves of electricity. Once the spell was over, the mech was practically searing, before falling over dramatically. Twitch crawled out of the mech and groaned. Her helmet was gone, and her blonde hair was spiked up from the electricity.

"Huh..did we just win?" I asked, smirking a little. Vinegar came running to Twitch, picking her up.

"You may have won now, but we'll be back with better mechs!" She said, running out the door with Twitch in her arms.

Rotty came up to me and Shantae, hopping with excitement. "That was so cool!!" She squealed. "The way you cut out those legs! And the way you shot that lightning at them! That was so badass!"

Shantae only laughed a little. "Well, I couldn't do it without Y/N's help." She said.

I only grinned, rubbing the back of my head. "Well, I was using _your_ sword, so technically I only was able to help because—" Before I could finish my sentence, Shantae grabbed my vest and pulled me in for a quick, sweet kiss.

She pulled away and blushed. "Shut up and take the compliment, dummy." She said. All I could do was grin like an idiot.

"Compliment taken." I said simply.

Shantae rolled her eyes and walked over to Twitch's wrecked mech. I glanced over at Rotty, who smirked at me and made an 'O' sign with one hand, and sticking her other index finger in and out of it. I shook my head in response.

"Hey! They dropped that scroll!" Shantae said, pulling it out from the wreckage. Me and Rotty immediately came over to her, looking over her shoulders to look at it as she unrolled it.

"What is it..?" Rotty asked.

When I got a good look, I saw that it was a bunch of pictures of different dance poses. Shantae's face lit up with excitement. "It's a genie dance!" She said.

"Wait, seriously? Like a transformation dance?" I asked curiously, looking over the poses. Now that I knew what it was, it was actually just step-by-step directions to the full dance. But by the looks of it, it was only half of the full dance.

"Well, it's not the whole dance.." Shantae said. "And I don't know if it's a transformation dance. It takes two genies to do the dance. It's probably some sort of spell."

"Huh. That's..pretty cool actually." I said, rubbing my chin. "But what does it have to do with the seal?"

"I don't know. But it'll probably be more clear when we get the other half. I bet that's where the left side leads to." Shantae said.

"Then we got no time to waste, right? Let's go!" Rotty said with excitement.

I looked over at Shantae. She nodded in agreement with Rotty. "Right. But we have to be careful, in case Ammo Baron is here." She said.

I thought about the first and only time I met Ammo Baron. He probably isn't too happy with me. "Right. Hate to run into him again." I said.

The three of us started to leave the room, back into the hallway. Once he reached the entrance to the garden, we looked towards the left side hallway. I looked at my friends, and they nodded to me. Guess I was leading. _Again._

I took a deep breath, and led us into the dark hallway.


	11. Chapter 11: The Plot Twist

At this point, I had forgotten what day it was exactly in my week long journey to get the money I needed. Was it day 4? 5? 6? So much has happened that I just wasn't sure anymore. Regardless, I was going to get that treasure _today._ And when I get back to Scuttletown, I'm going to be living like a _king_.

Shantae, Rottytops and I were now walking down the hallway to the left of the garden room. It was a short pathway, just like the one to the right. When we entered the left room, I noticed that it was sort of similar to the right side room.

 _Sort of._

Just like the other room, this room was divided into two sides. However, instead of a large chasm in between, there was a huge floor of large, pointy spikes, which also lined the walls and ceiling. The floor was slanted, making the entire room into a shallow hill. It was nothing but spikes, all except a few platforms that hovered above the spike floor, way out of reach to hop to.

My jaw dropped. "Wow." Was all I could say.

Rotty crossed her arms, thinking to herself. "That _is_ a lot of spikes." She said. "But there are platforms..is there any way to move them or something?"

Shantae seemed to be looking around. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she pointed to the ceiling right above us. "Look!"

I looked up. There was a platform hanging from the ceiling directly above us. But it was far too high to reach.

"How will we get up there?" I asked curiously.

Shantae looked at me with a smug face. I suddenly remembered that she was a half genie, and rolled my eyes.

"Right. Transformations." I said simply.

Shantae put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Tsk-tsk, you should know by now just how awesome I am!" She bragged.

I rolled my eyes. "Just transform, you silly genie." I teased with a smirk. Shantae smiled and punched my should lightly. Then she took a few steps back and placed her feet in specific positions. Then she began her belly dance. Her hips bounced melodically, entrancing me once again without fail. Her stomach moved in a circle, and her upper body rocked with the rhythm. This dance was slightly different. I didn't know how to explain it, but it was almost...assertive. _Dominating,_ even.

She raised her hand in the air gracefully, winking towards me. "Transform!" She called. She suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It slowly dissipated, revealing a new transformation I haven't seen yet. She transformed into a human-sized spider girl. Her lower body was that of a spider's, with six, long insectoid legs protruding from the purplish-blue body. Shantae's upper body was that of a females, with teal colored skin and long, straightened black hair, which had a large red ribbon tied in on top of her head, and her forearms was replaced with a set of pincers. The only thing to cover her breasts was a little webbing that stretched from behind her.

 _"Damn."_ I said, staring in awe. Spider-Shantae only giggled at me, before shooting a string of web to the ceiling, pulling herself up to the platform in a matter of seconds. I glanced at Rotty, who was smirking at me.

"What?" I asked. Rotty dramatically scoffed.

"Got a thing for spiders now?" She asked teasingly.

I crossed my arms, playing it off. "Pff. Yeah right. I was just surprised is all." I said.

"Mmhm. Sure." Rotty said.

I heard the ' _poof'_ sound of Shantae turning back to normal. "Ok, I'm up here!" She called down. "There's a bunch of levers!"

"Start pulling them!" Rotty called back up. "Let's see what they do!"

"Hang on, let's make sure it's safe first.." I started to say. But Shantae had already pulled a lever, causing one of the platforms to move in a straight line.

Rotty's eyes lit up with excitement. "It's a puzzle!" She said. "Y/N, you should jump on the platforms as Shantae moves them!"

 _"What?!"_ I asked with both fear and shock. "Why should I do that? Shantae should just turn into a bat and fly across the entire thing!" I said. Shantae looked over the side of the platform and looked down at me.

"When I'm in my bat form, I can only fly horizontally!" She called down. "I can't fly up the slant!"

 _How did that even make any sense?!_

I sighed in defeat. There was no helping it anyways. "Ok, ok..." I said. "Bring one of the platforms closer, Shantae!" I called.

Shantae nodded and started to play with the levers, moving the platforms around. Eventually one of them whizzed over to me. I ran towards the spiked floor and jumped, landing onto the platform directly.

"Be careful, Y/N!" Shantae called out.

"Try not to die!" Rotty said. "And if you do, dibs on your brains!"

 _How motivating._

The platform began to move, going up the slant. It wasn't steep enough to make me fall off, but I still tried to stay steady, just in case. As the platform started to pass by another one, I jumped over the spikes, just nearly missing the jump. Luckily, I made it, stumbling a little on the landing.

I heard Shantae gasp with worry from the control platform. I decided to try not to make her worry.

Shantae made my platform begin to move, getting closer and closer to the other side. I hopped onto another platform, which also began to move. Once this one got closer to the end of the puzzle, I hopped over the spikes and landed on the other side of the room. I turned around to look at them.

"Ta-da!" I said triumphantly. I was a little too far away to hear them clearly, but I was able to barely make out what Shantae was yelling.

 _Pull the lever,_ she was saying.

"What lever..?" I muttered, looking around. Then I noticed the small, unopened chest sitting in the middle of the floor. Right beside it was a lever on the ground. I walked over to it, and pulled it. Suddenly, the floor below me started to whiz to life. I turned around to see a bridge forming over the spiked floor, creating a safe path from one side of the room to the other.

Shantae jumped down from her platform, and both her and Rotty came running down the bridge to catch up to me. Once they reached me, I grinned a little. But I was caught off guard when Shantae suddenly pulled my head into a tight hug.

"I'm _sorry!"_ She said with worry. "I won't make you do anything that dangerous again! Next time you'll control the levers!"

I tried to respond, but she was hugging my head tightly into her chest. My face turned dark red as her breasts rubbed against me. "I-It's fine, Shantae! It wasn't that bad!" I said, trying to reassure her.

Rotty groaned a little. "Hey, you guys are cute and all, but let's just open this chest and go get that treasure!" She complained.

Shantae let go of my head, giving me the opportunity to breath. My blushing face started to calm down. Shantae's face started to turn red.

"S-Sorry Y/N..." She said. "I won't worry so much.."

Once I regained my composure, I chuckled a little before rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. "No worries." I said. "Besides, you're really cute when you worry."

Shantae only grinned in response. _"Dork."_ She teased, before turning away and opening the chest set out before us. Just as we suspected, it was another scroll. Shantae picked it up, and unrolled it. Sure enough, it was the directions to the rest of the genie dance. Shantae was definitely the most excited out of all of us.

"This is so cool!" She said. "It looks like it's some kind of powerful fire spell.."

"Fire spell, huh..." I said, thinking.

Rotty suddenly perked up. "I just realized something!" She said. "What if the spell is to open the seal? The alter is where you have to do the dance!"

Shantae beamed at Rotty. "That must be it!" She said. "This is a genie dance, but since I know fire magic, I can control the spell on my own, even if I am a half genie. But I still need someone to do the dance with..."

Suddenly, both Shantae and Rotty looked at me in unison. Their excited expressions said it all. I rolled my eyes. "Alright..." I said, giving in to them. "Let me see this dance..."

On the way back to the garden room, I was looking over the scrolls, trying to memorize the dance steps. Shantae had already completely memorized them, but that was because she was just good at dancing. And I was _terrible_ at dancing.

Not to mention that this dance was very... _intimate._ It wasn't lewd or anything, but it was romantic in nature. It had some elements of belly dancing, but it wasn't like it entirely. And to think I was going to do this with Shantae..

 _It won't be too bad,_ I thought to myself.

Once we got to the garden room, I took another glance around the plant life. The trees and grass were thriving with life. Droplets of water dropped down; a detail I missed earlier. Suddenly, the atmosphere made sense with what this dance was supposed to be like.

"Ready to do this?" Shantae asked me with a smile, heading to the alter.

"I think so.." I responded, setting my knapsack on the ground nearby. "I'm an awful dancer, so I hope I can pull this off."

"Don't worry, just follow my lead. It's lot of steps, but it won't be a long dance." Shantae said, blushing slightly.

I couldn't help but blush as well. I was a little nervous, but I didn't hesitate. I stepped onto the alter, following Shantae to the center. I glanced over to see Rotty, watching us in anticipation.

"Alright, let's do this.." I said, positioning my arms and feet as the scrolls showed. Shantae did the same. Our eyes met momentarily, before we both started the dance in unison.

It started with simple step motions. I was following her lead, as she said. But soon the distance between us closed as we stepped closer to each other, and our eyes met again. Only this time, our eye contact didn't break. It was...intense.

Oddly enough, the blush faded from my cheeks. The same happened with her. This felt _natural._ Our hands intertwined, and her hips rolled against mine methodically. My hips started to move as well with the rhythm of hers. I brought her arm over her head to spin her, turning her back to me. Her body moved like a wave against mine, her back pressing against my chest momentarily. I brought my hand to her stomach, gliding my fingertips across her flawless skin sensually. I heard a small, cute moan escape her lips in response to my touch.

We continued to move like that, before the both of us spun and I rotated her arm over her head yet again to make her face me. We circled each other in a beautiful motion. We closed the gap in between each other yet again as we spun, our hands holding each other's tightly. I could feel them getting warmer. But it was a natural warmth. It wasn't just a spell; it was the culmination of our short, yet eventful time of knowing each other. The start of simply smiling at each other to the unspoken love that formed was creating this warmth.

Our eyes met once more. Shantae smiled at me, and I smiled back. We stopped spinning, and our hands separated. The both of us cupped our hands together in unison, and pointed them directly towards the dragon head seal on the stone door.

A powerful, intense blast of flames fired from our hands, firing directly into the dragon's mouth. The flames lit up the eyes from inside the seal, and it started to spin, unlocking itself from the door. The large stone door loudly began to creak open, just enough to fit through.

I grinned, realizing that we had just did it. The treasure room was waiting on the other side of that door. I looked at Shantae, who looked just as excited. She squealed in glee as we both instinctively hugged each other.

"We did it!" Shantae said, hugging her arms around my neck tightly. This felt completely natural to me now. It was as if that warmth never left my body. It was still there, and Shantae only made it stronger with her touch.

She pulled away slightly, but never left my arms. We both looked into each other's eyes, as she inched closer. Her lips puckered ever so slightly in anticipation, her eyes closing slowly. I closed my eyes as well, my heart beating harder and harder as my lips came closer and closer to hers.

But suddenly, the moment was ruined by the small sound of something _stomping_ in our direction. Both me and Shantae pulled away from what _would_ have been a kiss, and looked towards the entrance of the garden room, where we came from before.

"You guys hear that..?" Rotty asked, stepping away from the alter.

"Yeah..what is it..?" I responded, letting go of Shantae, who started to get into a defensive position.

The sound got louder. _Boom. Boom._ The ground began to shake. Then, the sound stopped suddenly, leaving everything still and quiet. There were no sounds except for the rushing water, and my own breath.

 **BOOM!!!** The entrance was busted down in a large explosion of rubble. I guarded my own face from the dust as it rolled past us. There was now a large hole where the door used to be. And in its place was a large, blue mech. It was reinforced in armor and weapons of all kinds, making the other two mechs we fought look like child's play. This one was much bigger and bulkier than the ones Twitch and Vinegar had, which led me to believe the pilot was none other than...

"Ammo Baron." I said. The front of the mech's chassis opened, revealing the one-eyed tyrant.

"The one and only, pal!" He said. "And I must say, thank you both for getting past that stupid seal! I have a lot of great men in my forces, but none of them are genies, so I had to improvise a little!" He said, as the left forearm of the mech rotated.

"You...you dropped that map on purpose!" Shantae said. "You knew I'd come...you tricked us!" She looked angry. Not that I blamed her. I was pretty pissed off too.

"Yeah. Pretty sweet plan, right?" He said, admiring his own intellect. "Although, I didn't think you'd come with that loser. My original plan was to capture you and force you to do the dance with one of my soldiers, but this was much better! And now that you opened the door to the treasure, I can afford to build an entire _fleet_ of battleships to take over Sequin Land!" He said, raising his arms gloriously.

 _"Loser?"_ I repeated. "Pft. Okay. Well, this _loser_ destroyed your stupid battleship easily. You think that oversized hunk of crap can handle me?" I said confidently. I wasn't sure what it was that made me so sure we would win, but there was a new confidence that burned within me. I _wanted_ to fight this guy.

"We'll see about that..." Ammo Baron said threateningly. "Prepare to taste the power of the Ammo Mecha Mk. IX!!!" He closed the chassis, and the mechs right arm raised, pointing the large gatling gun attached to the forearm right at us. It started to fire, sending waves of bullets at us. Both me and Shantae rolled out of the way, and ran into the trees for cover.

I hid behind a tree and looked down at my hands, and noticed they were _glowing._ Then I realized what it was I was feeling. The magic never left me completely yet. I smirked to myself, before jumping out of cover.

"HEY CYCLOPS!" I yelled. The mech faced me in response, raising the gun at me.

"What'd you call me, punk?!" Ammo Baron sneered from inside the chassis. I brought my hands together, channeling every bit of energy I had into focusing what magic I had left into my palms. I pointing them at the mech.

 _"Fireblast!"_ I called. Admittedly, I made up the spell name on the spot. But it still worked. It wasn't as powerful as when me and Shantae fired it together, but it was still strong. I could _feel_ it. In fact, it was so strong that it blasted right through the mechs right arm, incinerating the metal. The forearm fell to the ground, now cut off from the main mech. Ammo Baron yelled in rage.

"Damnit!!" He yelled. "You'll regret that, you little shit!" The rocket launcher that was mounted over the mechs left shoulder rotated into position. I raised my hands again, but only small, pitiful sparks of fire came out.

 _Guess I used up most of the leftover magic. Shit._

The rocket launcher locked on to me, and fired a missile in my direction. Before I could even react, Shantae hopped in front of me and stretched her arms out.

"Bubble!" She called.

Suddenly, a yellow protective bubble formed around us. The missile hit the bubble directly, protecting us from the immediate threat. But the blast still sent us flying right into the stream.

I lifted myself out of the shallow water, coughing and groaning. I felt a drop of blood drip down my forehead. I looked over to see Shantae struggling to get up. I then looked up to see Ammo Baron slowly walking towards us in his mech.

"Shit..." I muttered, stumbling towards Shantae. I put my hand on her shoulder. She seemed bruised up. "Are you ok Shantae..?"

She moaned in pain and stood up. "I-I think so.." She said. "Listen..I have some of that magic left in me, but if we're going to finish this, I'm going to need you to give me what you have left.." She looked at me.

Without hesitation, I grabbed onto her hand, holding it tightly. "Whatever you need." I said. "I'll give it to you."

She smiled slightly, before taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes, focusing. I could already feel the magic drain from me. "I could use some time.." She said.

 _I wasn't sure how much time I could give._

Ammo Baron was finally in front of us. All of the weapons rotated into position, pointing at us. "Sorry, kids." He said menacingly. "But you've outlived your usefulness..."

"HEY CYCLO-WHATEVER IT WAS THAT Y/N SAID!" Rotty yelled from the distance. Both me and Ammo Baron turned to look in her direction. She was beside the arm I had burned off earlier. She pulled it to point it at Ammo Baron, and reached into the wiring and started to pull some out, grinning at Ammo Baron.

"Enjoy your trip at the Village of Lost Souls, loser!" Rotty bragged, pulling on the wires. She fired the gatling gun, right at Ammo Baron's mech. The bullets didn't penetrate the armor plating or chassis, but it did destroy the weapons. The mech raised its only arm to try to block the bullets. But they shredded through the weak points.

"Gah! You stupid zombie!" Ammo Baron said in annoyance.

"There!" Shantae suddenly said. It took me a moment to realize she had already finished taking my magic. She started to form a fireball in her hands, but it burned more intensely than I have ever seen. She stared down the mech with an intense look.

"Incinerate!" She yelled, shooting the powerful blast of fire directly at him. Ammo Baron turned to face the blast.

"Shit." He said, before the blast hit the mech, sending it flying across the garden. The mech hit the wall, exploding into hundreds of parts of pieces of what used to be a mech. Ammo Baron was in the pile of debris, unconscious. His uniform and clothes had been burned off entirely, leaving him completely naked.

"Ha! Take that, Cyclops!" I said, grinning widely. Shantae looked at me with an exhausted look.

"Thank you.." She said, heaving a little. That spell must have drained her. I wrapped my arm around her to help her stand.

"Hey, you did all the work." I said, smiling. "Well, mostly. Did you see how I blasted his arm off? That was fucking awesome!"

Shantae sighed, smiling a little. "You really know how to kill a moment, huh..?" She said. Rottytops ran up to us, glowing with excitement.

"Guys! Guys! Did you see that?! I was all like, 'See ya later, bitch!' And I blasted him! I mean, you blasted him, but I shot him up!" She grinned widely, making a finger gun and blowing lightly on the tip of her finger.

I laughed a little. "You also saved our asses. Thank you, Rottytops." I said. Rotty grinned in response, rubbing her arm. She even blushed a little. "Yeah, well...I'll think of a way you can pay me back later." She said, sneaking in a wink at me.

I looked over to where Ammo Baron was, just in time to catch Twitch and Vinegar picking him up, carrying him away.

"Let him go.." Shantae said. "He's an evil bastard, but we're not in any position to take prisoners.." She eventually stood up on her own, so I let go of her. "Now..let's go do what we came here for and get that treasure!"

I grinned in excitement. The three of us headed to the large stone doors, squeezing through the crack and entering the treasure room. It was large and empty, with nothing but a single chest. But this chest was larger than the other two we found. _Much_ larger.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "You can probably fit five people in that thing!"

Rotty's eyes were lit up in excitement. "Open it! Open it!" She said. I looked at Shantae, who smiled at me.

"The honor is all yours." She said. "This will help you start your life if Sequin Land. I..I look forward to what we'll do together in the future.." She said, blushing shyly.

I smiled at her. "Thank you, Shantae..I mean it. This means so much.." I said.

"Ugh. Enough with the gushy crap, just open it!" Rotty complained.

I approached the large chest. This was it. Everything that I've done in the past four or five days has been leading up to this very moment. This was my ticket to a new life. I came to Sequin Land so I could have the opportunity to be something greater than what I was where I came from. And so far, I've experienced more excitement to last for years. And it was only a small taste of what's to come.

And so, as my heart pounded against my chest, I lifted the heavy lid, opening the treasure chest.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

Instead of finding gold coins, or stacks of gems or cash, all that was inside the chest was a large red...blob. It pulsated, indicating that it was _alive._ Before I could really figure out what it was, the creature hopped out of the chest at lightning speed, making me fall flat on my ass. The red, purple polka dotted blob monster landed right at my feet. It was some sort of oversized squid with a very cartoony face. It gasped heavily.

"Haaah..feels so good to breath fresh air!" The squid creature said enthusiasticly.

"Squid Baron?!" Shantae asked, in complete shock. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

 _Another Baron?!_

"Don't you get it?" Squid Baron asked, a little _too_ happily. "I'm the treasure!"

"Excuse me?" Rotty asked, tilting her head out of confusion. "I don't understand..why were you in the chest?"

"Oh, it's not that complicated." Squid Baron said. "The writer of this fan fiction wanted to put in some kind of plot twist at the end, but was way too lazy to actually come up with something shocking or clever."

 _What the fuck was he even talking about?!_

"That's hardly fair." Shantae said. "I'm sure the writer thought this would be clever."

 _Am I the only one who doesn't get what was going on?!_

I looked at Rottytops, who just shrugged at me. Guess I wasn't the only one.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm here now!" Squid Baron said. "I was intended to be the last boss battle, but this chapter is already _really_ long, and you guys seem pretty beat up, so I'm just gonna head home!"

"That's unfortunate." Shantae said. "But hey, glad to hear you finally made it to final boss status again!"

"I know right! I was so excited to become a big deal again! Anyways, catch you guys later!" Squid Baron replied. Then, he hopped out of the room, going through a new door that I hadn't noticed yet.

Shantae came up to me and helped me back up to my feet. "What were you guys even talking about?!" I asked in complete disbelief.

"Oh, that? I'm not sure. Usually he makes sense, but this time I was just playing along with it." Shantae said with a shrug.

"Oh." I said simply. I looked at the now empty chest. "So does that mean that...there's no treasure?" I asked.

"Oh Y/N, I'm so sorry.." Shantae said, wrapping her arms around my waist. She rested her forehead against my shoulder. "But I don't think there was any treasure to begin with...it's my fault you can't get that house now..I'm sorry.."

"Y/N.." Rotty mumbled, placing her hand on my other shoulder. "You gonna be okay..?"

I glanced at both of them. They seemed so worried about me. But I simply laughed a little. "You guys need to lighten up a bit!" I said enthusiasticly. Suddenly, I wrapped my arms around the both of them, catching them completely off guard. "It sucks that there was no treasure and all.." I said, smiling at them both. "But I'd be a liar if I said this wasn't fun!"

Shantae smiled genuinely at me. "Y/N.." She muttered, before kissing my cheek softly.

Rottytops started to tear up, before hugging both me and Shantae. "I love you guys so much~!!" She sobbed dramatically.

After our heartfelt moment, we all released each other. I looked at the door that Squid Baron exited through. "Is that the way out?" I asked. Shantae nodded.

"Most likely, yeah. Usually these sorts of dungeons have a quick exit at the end. It probably just goes straight to the surface, too. We can call Sky with my whistle and get home." Shantae said. "You want a ride home, Rottytops?"

"If you could, hell yeah!" Rotty said, as we all started to head through the exit. "But will there be enough room on her bird?"

"I mean, if there isn't, we'll just have Wrench carry Y/N with his claws." Shantae joked.

"Please don't." I said quietly, terrified by the joke. Then they both laughed as we headed to the surface, bringing an end to our dungeon adventure.

 _What am I gonna say to Mayor Scuttlebutt?_


	12. Chapter 12: An (Un)Expected Night

Once we got to the surface, Shantae used her whistle to call Sky, who arrived on her oversized Wrench. Luckily, I didn't have to dangle from his claws like Shantae joked. And surprisingly, the flight wasn't nearly as horrific as I had remembered the first time being. I actually got to enjoy the view this time.

Eventually, we landed at Rotty's mansion, where her and her brothers lived. Rotty hopped off Wrench and blew a kiss to me, which caused Shantae to hold onto me possessively. We then took off, and arrived at Scuttle Town not too long after. After getting yelled at by Sky for what happened at Tan Line Temple, I went to see Mayor Scuttlebutt to talk about the situation with the house.

Surprisingly, he lowered the price for me because I helped saved Scuttle Town from Ammo Baron. Shantae had apparently put in good word for me, and now the house price was much more affordable. Granted, it would take a few weeks to get enough gems through work. But I was certain I can get it in time.

Once the rest of my time in renting the house was done, Shantae offered for me to stay at her place until I was able to afford the house. She still felt guilty that we never found any treasure, despite the fact I would always tell her it wasn't her fault. Still, I accepted the offer to stay at her lighthouse for the time being. It won't be a big deal, right?

And so there I was, at Shantae's small lighthouse. It was already getting late, and it was time to head to bed. Shantae led me inside, smiling brightly at me. "Make yourself at home!" She said happily.

I looked around the first floor. It was fairly small, but very cozy. The walls were covered with drawers and cupboards, with a brick oven and hanging pottery. A large rope was hanging from a hole in the ceiling, which led to the second floor. "I'm gonna get ready for bed. You should too." Shantae said, before grabbing onto the rope and climbing up to the second floor.

"Okay." I replied. I opened up the bag I brought and started to change my clothes. I put on a soft shirt and boxers to sleep in. I put the clothes I had on before in the bag and set it on top of the cupboards. I took another glance around, realizing something. "Wait, where do I sleep?" I mumbled.

Shantae suddenly poked her head through the hole. Her hair was now let down, hanging from her head as she looked at me from an upside down angle. "You coming? There's nowhere to sleep down here, dummy!" She said, before disappearing through the hole again.

"Ah, right, of course. Coming.." I said, hopping up to grab the rope. I started to climb up through the hole, standing up and taking a look around the second floor. It was slightly smaller than the first floor. There was a large round window that let in the moonlight, giving me enough light to see the room. All there was to take note of was a comfortable looking hammock and a sizable bed, with a few stands sitting around. Of course, when I looked at the bed, I saw Shantae sitting on top of it, looking at me with a small smile.

My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She was wearing her white jammies. She had white, puffy cotton pants that reached down to her knees, and a small white crop top that hung loosely from her shoulders, showing off her stomach. She had her hair down, and now that she was rightside up, I could see her hair flowing over her back and shoulders gorgeously.

She blushed. I must have been staring. "Ah, sorry.." I said, trying to play it off. "Guess I'm sleeping on the hammock, right?"

Shantae didn't answer. She looked down. But then, before I could react, she stood up and grabbed onto the collar of my shirt, pulling me into a kiss. We have kissed before, once in the dungeon a few days ago. But that was only a quick, sweet kiss. This was far more passionate. I didn't fluster or hold back, kissing her back deeply. The kiss sent waves of warmth through my body.

She broke away, leaving the two of us in a surprised daze. Then, she pushed me onto the bed. I didn't fight it, and watched as she started to climb on top of me, looking down at me with eyes filled with passionate lust. It made my heart skip a few beats, with the way she looked at me.

"Sorry, but I wasn't sure just how much longer I could have held back.." She said, heaving a little. Her hair came down over her shoulder, falling down right beside my head. I looked up to her face as it inched closer to my own.

"I don't mean to rush anything, but I _want_ you.." She said. "I hope you don't think I'm weird for that.."

It took a few moments to take in what she said. But I wasn't too surprised. I simply smiled at her, gently moving one of my hands through her beautiful purple hair, and placing it on her cheek. "If I'm being honest, I was holding back too.." I said. "You're not rushing anything. I want you too, Shantae...I..I love you.."

Shantae smiled in pure happiness. Her eyes even started to water up a little. "I-I love you too—!" She exclaimed. Then she suddenly kissed me again, matching the same amount of passion as before. There was a special level of intimacy this time. There was always this unspoken feeling between us, and after we shared that dance, it was like our feelings were dialed to eleven. And yet, we never got a chance to talk about it with each other.

But now we've finally gone through with it. She loved me, and I loved her. The same intimate warmth we shared with the magic dance returned to me. It coursed through my entire body, sending me into a passionate and lustful feeling.

I poked my tongue against her lips, asking for an entrance. Her big blue eyes widened in surprise, but then they relaxed, now being glossy with lust. Her lips parted gently, allowing my tongue to enter her mouth and collide with hers. Her tongue tasted so sweet. I wrestled mine with hers. As my tongue fought for dominance over hers, my arms began to wrap tightly around her curvy body. She let out a small, innocent moan as we kissed.

Soon, our lips parted once again, our eyes locking as the trail of saliva that still connected our tongues broke off. She gave me a look, before suddenly grabbing at the hem of my shirt, pulling it up my body. Her hands gently glided over my abdomen, up to my chest. She heaved a little as she felt me up. I helped her take my shirt off by raising my arms above my head, pulling it off and tossing it aside on the ground.

Shantae sat up, still sitting on my lap, giving me a great view of her body. The moonlight hit her in such a perfect way. It shined on her mocha-colored skin, detailing every inch of her body. She had curves in all the right places, with wide hips that led to a tighter waist. I started to run my hands along her curves. I wanted to feel every inch of her. She blushed heavily, before she started to taking off her top.

I had seen her breasts before in less than favorable ways, but this time there was an especially intense feeling that came when I laid eyes on them. Her breasts were the perfect size. They weren't so big that they were a nuisance, but they weren't small either. They were perfectly round. Her nipples started to stiffen after being exposed to the cold air. The way she looked away with a blush on her face, with her breasts bouncing slightly with every movement she made, it was...cute. No, it was _adorable._

"I-I hope they're big enough..." Shantae said quietly, placing one of her hands on my abs.

I sat up a little so I could bring myself closer to her. I brought one of my hands to her breasts, groping them gently. She gasped in surprise as I massaged her left breast. "They're perfect.." I mumbled, before sticking my tongue out. I sensually glided it over her flawless skin, flicking it over her nipple. She moaned in response, putting her hand over my shoulder. I sucked on her nipple slightly, before bringing my tongue up to her neck, licking it to tease her.

"Ah~...Y/N~..." Shantae moaned cutely. Her voice and moans..they were so _intoxicating._ I wanted more. I suddenly flipped the both of us around, putting her back against the bed so I was on top of her now. Shantae squealed in surprise, looking at me. "Y/N, what are you-"

I didn't give her time to react. I started to pull her cotton pants down, leaving her in just her white panties. She squeaked quietly before crossing her legs. I laughed a little, running my hand down her thigh.

"Sorry, but your voice is so cute..I wanted to hear you moan more..." I admitted, grinning a little. She pouted, looking away. But then she spread her legs apart for me, blushing.

"Y-You're a bully..." She muttered.

I chuckled softly, looking down her body once more. Her legs were flawless. They even felt fragile. It was easy to forget that she fought monsters for a living. I caressed her inner thighs some, before tugging her thin panties down her legs. She kicked them off of her feet, throwing them aside.

Her pussy was dripping wet. I spread her legs even wider and lowered myself down in between her thighs. I looked up to see her looking down at me. Our eyes met, and I could see the anticipation she had. I placed my hands over her thighs, and stuck out my tongue to lick her wet folds.

"M-Mm~!!" Shantae tried to suppress her moan, suddenly grabbing onto my hair tightly. I didn't mind, though. I just wanted to hear her voice. I flicked my tongue over her slick pussy once more, sliding it right in between her pink lips. She moaned again, this time unable to keep her mouth closed to hide it.

My tongue slid into her slightly. She began to tug on my hair, which hurt a little, but I didn't complain. I held onto her legs, which wrapped around my head. I could feel her thighs pressing against the sides of my head, but she wasn't closing them tightly on me. It was like she was trying to hug me the only way she could.

I glanced up to see her expression. He entire face was flushed red, her eyes still had that glossy look to them. Her mouth hung open as she panted. I didn't waste any more time observing her state of being. I swirled my tongue around inside of her, tasting her inner walls and pushing against them.

"A-Aaah~!!" Shantae grabbed onto the sheets of her bed and pulled on them. I only continued my endeavors and used my tongue to explore her insides. I moved one of my hands around her leg and used my thumb to tease her clitoris. Her eyes went wide, and I saw her grit her teeth.

"Y-Y/N!! I-If you~ Hah~.. Keep it up, I'm gonna~..." She began to say, but was interrupted by a sudden moan. I knew what was coming, but I didn't let up. I moved my tongue in circular motions and continued to play with her clit, sending her over the edge. Her legs twitched and her toes curled. With a loud, erotic moan, she reached her climax and came.

Shantae panted hard, laying flat on the bed. I let go of her legs and sat up, wiping my chin off and looking down at her. I watched her chest rise and fall with every breath she took. She was coming back down from cloud nine, and looked at me with her glossy eyes.

"Sorry, was that too intense for you?" I teased. Shantae pouted a little, and before I could react, she got up, pouncing on me. Now she was on top of me, and I had _my_ back against the bed.

 _Guess it was my turn now, right?_

"You're such a bully..." Shantae muttered, her hands crawling down my chest and stomach. Her fingers hooked onto the waist of my boxers. "I'm going to...punish you~" She said, still regaining her breath from her orgasm.

 _This hardly felt like punishment, but I wasn't going to complain._

She pulled down my boxers, and my dick sprang free. It had been hard this whole time, and it was practically throbbing in excitement.

Shantae gasped a little when it sprang out, nearly hitting her with how close her face was. She stared down my cock, her eyes glistening with both excitable lust and surprise.

"W-Wow.." She mumbled. "You're so... _big..."_

Hearing her say that in such an innocently cute way only made my heart pound against my chest. And when she touched my dick, I almost jumped out of my skin. Her touch sent shocks through my body, giving me goosebumps. She wrapped her fingers around the base, before she began to stroke her hand up and down my length.

I gritted my teeth a little. Her very touch was enough to send me over the edge. And now she was jerking me off, which was far more intense. She kept staring at it, watching it twitch in response to every movement of her hand.

"I...I want to _taste_ it..." Shantae mumbled. Before I could respond, she wrapped her lips around the head of my cock, sucking gently as she continued to stroke me. I moaned in response. She looked up at me, clearly enjoying the fact that now she had the power to make _me_ moan, and she started to take in more of my length into her mouth.

She took it in deep, sucking harder on my dick. She then slowly began to move her head, bobbing it up and down. The feeling was way too intense for me to handle. My entire lower body could go numb from this feeling, and it'd be worth it.

Shantae's hand stroked what she couldn't fit, moving it in unison with her head. She was doing everything she could to make me feel good. It made me think about how quickly things have moved between us. But it wasn't weird. It felt _natural_. She sucked harder, her hair falling down over her shoulder. She brushed it back out of the way before continuing, bobbing her head faster.

I could feel the pleasure she gave me build up, _fast._ It was coming. _I_ was coming.

"S-Shantae.." I moaned. "I-I'm..ah...I'm cumming..." I managed to say.

Shantae didn't let up. In fact, she became more intense. She gave everything she could in her movements. I put my hand on her head, helping her moved it faster. My cock twitched in anticipation in her mouth. I reached my peak quickly. It felt like an unstoppable force was about to burst through my body. My hips raised slightly as I came in her mouth.

Her eyes widened in surprise at first, but then she relaxed, closing her eyes and swallowing my cum. Eventually, she pulled away, releasing my cock from her lips with a small _pop_ sound. She gasped, before coughing a little. I sat up, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok, Shantae? Sorry, I think I pushed you too far.." I said. But she looked at me with such an erotic expression. It was clear she wasn't satisfied yet. Which was good, because I wasn't either.

"Y/N..." She said erotically. "I..I want more..." The way she spoke could have made any man fall to their knees. Her flushed expression read nothing but pure lust. I knew what she wanted, because I wanted it to. It was only a matter of time before this moment came.

"Lay down, you silly genie." I teased. She smiled at me before doing as I said, laying down on the bed. I sat up and positioned myself over her, pulling her closer to me. She spread her legs for me, giving me a great view of her entire body. Her hair spread out flat against the bed. She brought her arms up above her head, blushing deeply from the way her body was exposed. It was... _enticing,_ to say the least.

Shantae wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me in closer. The tip of my hard dick rubbed against her wet pussy, probing it. She gasped, holding in her breath for a short moment before speaking.

"I've always wanted this~..." She said, biting her lip gently. "Y/N...take me.." She muttered.

I couldn't hold back anymore. I pushed the tip of my dick into her, before shoving the rest of my length in slowly. She moaned out loud, stretching her body out in response.

"Oh, Y/N~..." She moaned. "You're filling me up~"

I leaned over her, placing my hands on either side of her to support myself. "Fuck.." I moaned. "You're so sexy, Shantae...I love it..."

She couldn't help but giggle a little. "Then show me.." She said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

 _Didn't have to tell me twice._

I began to move my hips, thrusting my cock in and out of her. Shantae shut her eyes tightly, her nails scratching my back slightly. "Oh~" She gasped and moaned below me, holding onto me tightly. I felt an intense warmth between us. It was a similar feeling to when we manifested that magic through the dance in the garden, but it wasn't any sort of special magic that created this warmth. This was real.

I picked it up a notch. I thrusted harder into her. The bed shook, causing the wood to creak loud enough to wake up anyone on the floor below us. The only thing louder than the bed was Shantae's moans. When I thrusted harder, her eyes shot wide open in ecstasy. Her mouth hung open. She didn't bother trying to hide her voice any more.

"Ah~! Ah~!" She moaned, her legs and toes curling in pleasure. Her breasts bounced each time my hips pounded against hers. I started to pant, already getting tired out from the movements. But I wasn't going to slow down. The feeling was too good.

"S-So tight...!" I mumbled, before suddenly sitting up to shift out position. I escaped from Shantae's hold and sat up straight, raising her leg and resting it over my shoulder. This way I could thrust even deeper. I picked up speed again, plunging my cock in and out of her.

She yelled in pleasure, gripping the sheets and pulling on them. I even noticed some drool coming from her mouth. The way that the pleasure just seemed to take over her very mind and soul only made me even more aroused.

"Ah~! Y/N~! Harder~!" She moaned out, practically begging me. I wasn't about to deny her, either. I pounded my dick into her harder. I could feel the pleasurable warmth swell up inside me, ready to burst. I had a feeling that Shantae felt the exact same thing, because her legs were shaking in ecstasy.

"Ah..! Fuck~! Shantae, I'm going to cum..!" I moaned, panting harder and harder. Shantae wrapped her other leg around my waist tightly. She gave me a lustful smile.

"D-Do it, baby~! Cum inside~!" She moaned out, beginning to rock her hips in rhythm to my own. The pleasure grew more and more until I couldn't hold it in anymore. I continued to thrust into her, until I finally went over the edge. I released my feelings inside of her, filling her up with my cum.

Shantae arched her back, stretching her entire body. "C-Cumming~!!" She yelled, hitting her peak and going back to cloud nine as she was hit with another strong orgasm. Her legs wrapped even more tightly around me. I could feel her leg shaking against my shoulder.

Not that I was in much more of a calmer state. I was suddenly exhausted. I let her leg drop from my shoulder, and then I let myself drop down onto the bed. I lay beside her, panting hard. I looked at her, then she looked at me. We both smiled at each other, laying there, sweaty and tired.

I pulled Shantae close to me, and she pressed herself against my body. Our lips found their way to each other once again, kissing each other sweetly. I pulled away and held her for a short while, regaining my breath to speak. "So..maybe we should...take a bath or something...?"

"In a few minutes..." Shantae replied, her arms wrapping around my upper body. She closed her eyes, and rested her head against my chest. "I just want...to lay down with you..."

I chuckled softly, before brushing her hair away from her face. I knew that what she said translated to _'too tired, let's sleep.'_ Not that I complained. I was tired as well. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I could stand for very long. And I was sure Shantae couldn't stand _period._

Shantae blissfully sighed, and I pulled the sheets over our naked bodies. I closed my eyes and relaxed myself.

"I love you." I heard her whisper quietly against my chest, before she drifted off to sleep.

I smiled to myself. "I love you too." I whispered back, before I began to fall asleep as well, with Shantae in my arms.

 _I really did love her._

Eventually, morning came around. Normally, mornings after sex was supposed to be a good feeling. I was practically _dreaming_ of the moment of waking up to see Shantae in my arms. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to wake up so blissfully, because Sky had come into the lighthouse and found us in bed together.

 _"What the hell?!_ Shantae! Y/N!" She yelled.

Both me and Shantae shot awake at the sudden outburst, looking at the furious Sky. She was _steaming._ And with the way she eyed me down, I was sure I was dead.

Shantae grabbed the sheets and pulled them over her body. Her face turned red with embarrassment. "Sky?! What are you doing here?!" She asked.

Sky stomped over to the bed, placing a whistle down on the stand next to it. "You forgot your whistle at the hatchery. I came to drop it off but _clearly_ you were busy!"

"Listen, Sky, I can explain, it was _consensual_.." I started, but Sky looked at me with a deadly glare.

"Y/N, I'm giving you three minutes to _run_ before I send Wrench after you. Starting now." She said. I would have assumed it was a bluff, but I noticed the bird right outside of the round window, eyeing me down with murderous intent.

I gulped. "Three minutes? Got it!" I said, suddenly getting up and getting dressed.

"Wait!" Shantae said, grabbing my arm. I looked at her curiously. "If you want, I was hoping we could go to Mermaid Falls tomorrow...I could use your help there." She said, with hopeful eyes.

I couldn't help but smile, as if I wasn't about to be _hunted by an enourmous hawk._ "I would love to." I replied. "I was hoping you'd invite me on another adventure."

"It's a date then." Shantae said jokingly. But her eyes told me it wasn't as much as a joke as it sounded. I grinned.

Sky grumbled. _"One minute!"_ She said. I doubted two minutes already passed, but I decided not to waste time by challenging her.

And so I ran from the lighthouse, turning to see a now-freakishly-large hawk chasing me into Scuttletown.

This was my new life now, living as a new resident of Scuttletown. I knew that Sky was mad now, but I'd eventually get her to like me. And I would come to meet so many new people, like Mimic, Bolo, and Rottytop's brothers, Abner and Poe.

The one thing I looked forward to most was my time with Shantae. We bonded so much in such a short amount of time, that I was certain that our love would never break.

My unexpected adventure came to an end, but that wasn't the end to my story.

 _I can't wait._


	13. Chapter 13: What’s Next?

_Shit. I'm running late._

It's been a few weeks since my grand adventure at Tan Line Island with Shantae. Since then, things have been going great. I did eventually get enough gems to buy that house I've been wanting, making myself an official resident of Scuttle Town. And I did get a pretty nice job too. It wasn't anything _kickass,_ like being a palace guard or a hunter. But it was a pretty interesting job, nonetheless. Still, I would have never expected _Sky_ to end up being my _boss._

After Sky had attacked me after discovering me and Shantae in bed together, she ended up calming down and offered me a job at her Hatchery as an assistant. As it turned out, her Hatchery was growing by the day, and she needed the helping hands. Plus, she wanted to keep an eye on me and make sure I wasn't causing any trouble. At least, that's what she told me.

As it turned out, Sky _still_ hadn't completely forgiven me. I didn't blame her, of course. Shantae was her best friend. I'd be protective too.

Speaking of Shantae, our relationship was still growing strong. We were together any time we were free. I had joined her on a few adventures here and there, and we would go out together most nights. And of course, we were still having sex.

I was also improving on my fighting ability. I wasn't amazingly good, but I've gotten better to the point where I could handle myself. I even got myself my very own sword. It was short and light, but it was long enough to do some damage.

 _What I really wanted was to get a Longsword so I could be a kickass knight, but those were way too expensive._

That brings us to now. I had just finished my work at Sky's Hatchery, and was headed to town for my date with Shantae. I was running a little late, admittedly, because Sky had made me clean Wrench's feathers before I left. I had a feeling she was trying to get me to be late on _purpose._

I headed downtown and spotted her, as gorgeous as ever. She was wearing her trademark outfit; her red baggy pants that had golden loops coming from the top, and a red bra with a golden ring in the middle. Her golden bracers, earrings and circlet accented her flawless body, and her long, beautiful purple hair put into a ponytail. I came to realize it was so she could whip her hair more easily, but she still managed to make it look great.

Her eyes met mine across the street, and she smiled brightly at me. Her smile always lit up my day. She ran across the street to meet up with me, accidentally bumping into a few people on her way. She hopped up to stand in front of me and grinned.

"You're _late,_ jerk." She said sarcastically. I only smiled, putting my hands right above her hips.

"Sorry about that, gorgeous. I had to finish up some work." I replied.

Shantae only rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. Sky had you busy again?" She asked. She must have guessed she was right from my expression, because she continued. "I know she means well, but she thinks that you're just some jerk who only wants to mess with me." She said.

"Of course, I love you more than anything." I smirked a little, pulling her in closer. "But, I definitely don't mind messing around with you.." I teased.

Shantae's face turned red with embarrassment. "You're such a _dork_." She said, unable to suppress her smile. It didn't take long for us to finally give in and meet our lips together. Our kiss was sweet, but long. Her lips always tasted so good. It was like I was tasting a new type of cherry each time.

Our lips parted after a short while, and she opened her eyes to look at me. "So...what do you want to do, lover boy?" She asked.

"Hm. That's a good question.." I said. "I was thinking we could check out the restaurant on Main Street. I heard the chef there makes the best cooked salmon." I suggested.

Shantae's eyes widened a little with realization. "Oh, that's right, you _haven't_ been there yet!" She said, smiling. "You'll love it. It's probably the best place to eat in Scuttle Town!"

I raised an eyebrow as the both of us began to walk, hand in hand. "Really? That's quite the claim." I said.

Shantae only stuck her tongue out at me and looked ahead of us. We walked liked that, holding hands and enjoying each other's company until we made it to Main Street. I spotted the restaurant down the road and began to lead us there.

"Right this way, d—" I began to say.

"Y/N! Shantae!" A familiar voice called out from behind us. We both turned around, and past the crowd of people, I spotted her. It was easy to see her green skinned body past the crowd of normal residents.

"Rottytops?" I mumbled.

Rottytops pushed past everyone to get to us. She approached us and smiled widely. "Long time no see! You came to visit last week Shantae, but how long has it been for you, Y/N? Two or three weeks?"

"Something like that." I replied with a smile.

Shantae smiled and hugged Rotty shortly. "Wow, what a surprise!" Shantae said excitedly. Rotty then turned to me and suddenly hugged me. I was slightly taken aback, but I hugged her back.

Rotty pulled away, and looked at the both of us. "So, what brings you here, Rotty?" Shantae asked curiously.

"Oh, you know, I figured I'd come and say hello!" She said, chuckling a little shortly. She then looked at me. "Y-Y/N, how have you been? Good?" She asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

She seemed a little... _off._ "I've been well." I said. "I finally got that house. The Mayor gave me a discount for saving the Town."

"That's great!" She exclaimed. "You'll have to show me sometime! We need to go out anyways!" She said. Then her face turned a little red, and she put played with her hands a little. "N-Not as a date, of course. Just as friends!"

I tilted my head slightly. Usually Rottytops was free spirited and open about her feelings. But now she seemed a little shy. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but I could tell Shantae noticed it too.

"Rotty," Shantae said, catching the zombie girls attention. "How'd you get here? Did you take a ship?"

Rotty seemed to be taken off guard. She was even more flustered now. "O-Oh, I..Well..."

" _We_ took the Zombie Caravan." A male voice said nearby.

The three of us turned around to see the tall, green skinned man approach us and stand beside Rottytops. I had never met him in person yet, but just by his appearance, I recognized him.

"Oh, hey Abner. I didn't expect you to come to Scuttle Town!" Shantae greeted kindly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important..being around crowds of peoples isn't really a good idea for someone like me." Abner replied.

I had to disagree. While some of the people passing by seemed scared of him, a lot of women passed by admiring him. Even I had to admit that, for a zombie, he looked good. Granted, there was some meat missing from his head, allowing some of his skin to hug his skull directly, but he was still _jacked._

 _Once again, Rottytops and her brothers surprise me with what was anatomically possible for the undead._

"Abner, huh? We haven't met officially. I'm Y/N." I said, holding my hand out.

Abner eyed me down at first, but then his expression lightened up a bit as he shook my hand. I couldn't help but notice his long, pointy fingertips. "Good to meet ya' finally. I heard about how you and Shantae saved my little sister from those Scorpgals, so thank you for that."

"Hey! To be fair, I saved _him_ right after!" Rotty protested, but Abner simply ignored her.

"It's good to meet you too." I replied to Abner politely.

"Abner, you said you came because of something important." Shantae questioned. "What's wrong?"

Abner sighed a little. "Well, like I said, we took the Zombie Caravan here. I didn't want us to go back with them, but we had no choice. Hypno Baron came back and kicked us out of our home." He explained.

 _"Hypno Baron."_ Shantae frowned. "What is that _evil_ fiend up to?"

"I'm not sure, but it can't be good." Abner said, rubbing his chin. "Whatever it is, I was hoping you could go and kick him out again, Shantae. We were doing really well in that mansion, and I would be grateful if you could let us move back in."

"I would be happy too." Shantae said, now filled with a determined energy. "Besides, it's likely Hypno Baron is planning something really evil!"

"He sounds like the evil type." I said. "I'll come with, so I can back you up." I told Shantae. If Hypno Baron was as dangerous as I've heard, I didn't want her to go alone. Besides, Rotty was my friend. I couldn't stand by after she was kicked out of her home.

"I really appreciate it." Abner said. "We'll be with the Zombie Caravan, but they've made a stop here outside Scuttle Town and won't leave for another two days. Poe is there now. Once you guys kick Hypno Baron out, they'll take us back home."

"Sounds good." Shantae said. "Me and Y/N will head out tomorrow morning. We'll be sure to—"

"H-Hang on!" Rotty suddenly interrupted. Me, Shantae, and Abner looked at her. She suddenly got flustered again from the attention.

"H-Hypno Baron is really dangerous..." She said. "Shantae can handle him, but i-it's too dangerous for Y-Y/N..." She said, rubbing her arm.

I tilted my head curiously. I wasn't sure where this was coming from. Abner seemed confused as well, but then he looked at Shantae, who looked back at him. It was like they shared some kind of silent understanding for what was going on with Rottytops.

 _Personally, I felt a little left out from their unspoken understanding._

"She's right." Shantae said. "It does sound pretty dangerous. You might want to sit this one out, Y/N." She looked at me.

"Wait, seriously?" I questioned. "Are you sure? I don't doubt you can handle it alone, but.."

I stopped hallway through my sentence. Shantae looked at me, and I could see the answer in her eyes. She looked at me as if to say, _'I'll explain later.'_ I sighed a little.

"If you say so." I replied.

Rottytops smiled a little, then blushed to herself. Abner placed his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you Shantae. If you need me, I'll be at the Caravan." He said.

"Sounds good." Shantae replied. Rotty and Abner turned away, but before the two zombies could leave, Shantae grabbed Rotty's shoulder to get her attention.

"Before I leave tomorrow morning, you should meet up here at Main Street with me and Y/N for breakfast." Shantae suggested. "We need to catch up."

Rotty smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a date!" She said. But then she blushed again and looked at me. "P-Plutonically I mean! As friends!" Rotty explained quickly. Abner grabbed her arm and started to lead her away.

"Come on, you're embarrassing yourself.." He said simply. Then, the two zombies disappeared into the crowd.

Me and Shantae stood there for a while, thinking about what just happened. Then I looked at Shantae.

"What is it you're not telling me?" I asked. "Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

Shantae placed her finger on my lips, shushing me. "I'll tell you tonight." She said. "I just want to enjoy some salmon with my boyfriend right now."

I nodded understandingly. Still, I was a little concerned about the entire situation. The idea of Shantae taking on Hypno Baron alone made me worry.

"Of course.." Shantae said quietly, as the both of us started to head to the restaurant. "If you want to.. _mess around_ first, I'd be okay with that.."

I couldn't help but grin, blushing a little. I recomposed myself, and then we entered the restaurant to enjoy our date.


	14. Chapter 14: Remembrance

_"Y/N! More~!"_

Shantae moaned intensely as I thrusted my dick into her. She was on her hands and knees, sitting on top of my bed. Her face was lowered into the sheets, and her ass was stuck out to me. I was on my knees behind her, fucking her _hard._

After we had finished our dinner date, we decided to finish our night at my house. That was how our dates normally ended. Not that I was complaining, of course.

Shantae's legs quivered, barely able to keep her ass in the air for me. I had my hands on her hips to help her keep them up. I would have stopped and changed her position so she didn't have to keep holding her hips up, but with the way her legs bucked like that, with her face in the sheets...I found it too sexy to change. Besides, something told me she liked this position too.

"F-Fuck~! Yes~!" Shantae moaned, gritting her teeth and biting on the sheets beneath her as I pounded into her. "Fuck me faster~!!"

"You asked for it—!" I said, picking up the pace. With the way we were doing it, I was glad that Sky didn't know where I lived. At least, I hoped she didn't know. Shantae's toes curled, and she stopped biting on the sheets, letting her mouth hand open. She was letting out nothing but erotic moans, loud enough to wake any one of my neighbors. If I was being honest, I didn't care if they woke up. And Shantae didn't seem to care either.

I started to feel the pleasure swell up inside of me. The now-familiar feeling was getting closer and closer to erupting. "S-Shantae, I'm going to cum...!" I moaned.

Her tongue hung from her mouth. I knew that expression far too well. It was her uncontained lust taking her over. It was easy to tell with the way her eyes glossed up when she looked at me. Shantae reached back and put her hand on her hip, trying to move her own hips in sync with mine. The motion of my cock thrusting deep inside of her was making the most erotic sounds.

"Ah~! D-Don't hold back, Y/N~!" She managed to say past her moans. I didn't plan to hold back. I kept plunging in and out of her. The feeling grew bigger and bigger until I couldn't contain it anymore. With one last thrust, I released my cum, pouring it deep inside of her pussy.

"I-I'm cumming!!!" Shantae moaned out, gritting her teeth. Her eyes rolled back a little as she reached her climax, bucking her legs together and cumming all over my dick. Her entire body shook with pleasure as she slowly came down from her orgasm. She slid off of my dick and collapsed on the bed. I soon followed, falling onto the bed right beside her.

Every time we had sex, my lower body seemed to go numb. We both laid there, panting hard from the tiresome activity. Once we eventually caught our breath, I looked at her and smiled. I could never get over how beautiful she was. The way her purple hair flowed down her wonderful body would make my heart skip one too many beats. She smiled at me lovingly, before heaving a little. "That was..."

"Fantastic? Amazing? Extraordinary?" I questioned jokingly.

She tapped her chin, pretending to think. "I was going to say 'great,' but I can say fantastic if it makes you feel good." She teased, smirking at me.

I rolled my eyes, before suddenly pulling her into my arms. "Get over here, you silly genie." I said. She accepted my embrace easily, wrapping her arms around my torso and clashing her lips against mine.

We laid there for a short while. We've done it so much at this point that we didn't just instantly fall asleep anymore. We would just hold each other, enjoying each other's presence. Eventually, Shantae looked up to me. "How was it for you..?" She asked.

I looked down at her before replying, "It was amazing. You're seriously the best I could ask for.."

"So you prefer me over Rotty?" She asked suddenly.

That caught me off guard. I raised an eyebrow to her. "Well..yeah, of course." I said. "Why, what's wrong?"

She looked away for a moment, resting her hands on my bare chest. "Well..with the way she was looking at you earlier today, it's pretty obvious to tell she's crushing on you."

That _also_ caught me off guard. "You think so?" I asked. "I didn't think so...she seemed off, but Rotty seems more like the 'directly flirty' type of girl."

Shantae nodded in agreement. "Right, that's what I thought too..." She said. "Which makes me wonder if it's really just a crush, or something else..."

I ran my hand through Shantae's hair. "What do you mean by 'something else?'" I asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I plan to find out in the morning, though." She said. She then started to curl up against me, pressing her naked breasts against my chest and wrapping her arms around me again. "For now, let's just get some sleep...I'm gonna have a busy day tomorrow."

"Sounds like a good idea.." I said. I kissed the top of her head softly, resting against my pillow. "Goodnight, Shantae."

"Mm...goodnight, Y/N." She replied, closing her eyes. And within moments, we fell asleep together.

The next morning, me and Shantae woke up blissfully. Ever since our first night together, at Shantae's lighthouse, I always woke up in a panic of an angry Sky sending a bird monster after me. But every morning after that has been peaceful. To wake up to see Shantae's sleeping face was truly a dream.

When we finally got out of bed, despite how early in the morning it was, Shantae got dressed and told me that she would meet me and Rotty at Main Street. She needed to go home and get ready for her trip to the zombie siblings' mansion, which was now called Hypno Baron's Castle.

 _Because of course it was._

I agreed to meet her later and Shantae left. I started to wonder if it was a good idea to let her go off on her own. But supposedly, even Hypno Baron wasn't the worst she has faced. From what I heard, Risky Boots was _much_ more dangerous. After I took a shower and got dressed, I grabbed my sword and bag, and headed out for Main Street. My house was fairly close, so it was only a few minutes of walking. Once I arrived, I walked around, looking for the zombie girl. I saw her waving at me from across the street.

"Y/N!! Over here!" She called out. She was standing next to a small breakfast cafe. I headed across the street to meet with her, giving her a polite smile.

"Good morning Rotty." I said. "How's it been?"

Rotty suddenly blushed when I got close to her. She looked away, smiling. Even I had to admit that she looked cute like that.

"O-Oh, everything's been fine.." She said. "I-I mean, besides being kicked out of my place and all.."

"O-Oh, right! Sorry, I forgot for a minute!" I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"N-No, no! It's fine! I'm not too worried. After all, Shantae's got it handled!" She replied, looking down.

I tilted my head. She was acting _really_ weird. "Rotty." I said. "Is everything okay?"

Her looked up to face me again. "Hm? I'm fine. What makes you ask?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing, it's just...you've been acting pretty strangely lately." I said, which made Rotty's face light up in half surprise and half embarrassment.

"S-Strange? What makes you think I'm being strange? I'm totally normal!" She suddenly blurted, putting her hands on her hips.

"But you're normally in high spirits. But yesterday you were acting incredibly shy, and you're still shy today..." I replied. "So..what's up?"

Rottytops looked down again, poking her fingers together. "Well...you see..."

"Hey guys!" Shantae's voice suddenly said from beside us. I didn't notice her sneak up on us like that. But I was glad to see her nonetheless.

"Hey gorgeous." I said with a smile. Shantae returned the smile and kissed my cheek. I noticed Rotty rub her arm when she did that.

"Here, let's sit!" Shantae said, leading the both of us to a table. We sat down at a table outside the cafe, and it didn't take long for a waiter to come around and take our orders. I simply ordered toast, since I wasn't very hungry. Shantae ordered waffles, and Rotty also ordered waffles. Of course, that was only after she asked the waiter if they had any brainson the menu.

There was a moment of silence between the three of us. Rotty relunctanlty began to speak up. "So..how have—"

"Now that we're all here..." Shantae interrupted, looking at Rottytops. She reached over and held onto her green hand. "You can tell us what you were about to tell Y/N. What's going on with you? I'm worried about you..." She asked. I perked up as well, looking at Rotty with curiousity and concern. Rotty seemed a little flustered at the sudden confrontation. But she sighed, knowing that the topic wouldn't be let go unless she spoke up about it.

"Well..it's just..." She started. But then, she suddenly slammmed her fist into the table. "I keep dreaming about Y/N!!!" She exclaimed dramatically, loud enough for the whole cafe to hear.

I blinked, completely taken aback from what she just said. I couldn't help but blush slightly by that statement. "You've...you've been _dreaming_ about me?" I asked.

Rotty didn't get flustered or blush from my question, which was something I'd expect from her given her recent behavior. Perhaps just getting that off her chest brought her back to normal. She looked at me and nodded.

"Yeah, but it's not like a normal wet dream!" She said, only furthering the intensity of my blush. "It's like...it's like I _knew_ you. I mean, before I met you at Tan Line Island...a long time ago.."

Shantae's eyes widened a little. "You mean, you've been _remembering_ Y/N?" She asked, still holding on to the zombie girls hand.

Rotty then looked at Shantae. "I think! I have these kinds of dreams sometimes...but it's different this time! I have these vivid dreams of dating Y/N... _loving_ Y/N..."

I raised my hands in defense. "Well, I _don't_ remember this at all.." I said.

Shantae looked at me. "No, I don't think she's dreaming about you _literally_." She said. Then she faced Rottytops. "Rotty, I think you're having memories of someone you loved in your past life! Someone that Y/N reminds you of..."

Rotty blinked, a little surprised. "You think so?" She asked. "But..who is it?"

"I don't know..but maybe you can figure it out..." Shantae said. She looked down, thinking to herself. Then our waiter came back with our breakfast, setting our food out in front of us. Right as he left, Shantae perked up with an idea. "I know!" Shantae said, her expression lit up with excitement. "You two should go on a date while I'm gone!"

 _"What?!"_ Both me and Rotty asked in unison, looking at Shantae, who seemed much too excited about this idea.

"I know, it sounds crazy, but if you spend time with Y/N, you might get your memories back!" Shantae said, looking at me.

"It's a good plan, but...are you sure you're okay with this, Shantae?" I asked, taking her hand in my own.

Shantae gave me a heartwarming smile, nodding. "If it means helping my friend, I'm sure." She said.

Rotty grinned with excitement. "This is a _great_ idea!" She said happily. "If I can get my memories back about whoever this past dude is, I might be able to remember more, and help Abner and Poe remember as well!"

"Then it's decided." Shantae said, before taking a bite from her waffles. "The two of you will go on a date _today,_ while I'm gone. The timing is really good, so we should take advantage of it."

I nodded in agreement. I wasn't sure what to make of this entire situation, but if it meant helping Rottytops find out who she is, then I was more than willing to help.

"Oh, and Y/N?" Shantae said, getting my attention. "Be sure not to hold back too much. Even if you're with me, the important thing is to get Rotty's memories back. She remembers being loved, so treat her like you'd treat me, okay?" She told me.

I wondered what she meant by that. At what extent did she mean? She didn't mean to _have sex_ with Rotty, did she?

 _Maybe this date will end up being fun?_

We all started to talk with each other, getting caught up on everything that's happened since our adventure at Tan Line Island as we enjoyed our breakfast. Rotty was back to her normal self in an instant. She seemed excited about this whole thing, which led me to believe that things would begin to look up for her today.

But little did I know, today's date with Rotty would end up changing _everything._


	15. Chapter 15: Zombie Dating 101

_Now it was just Rottytops and me._

Soon after we finished breakfast, Shantae gave me a goodbye kiss and left to go fight Hypno Baron, leaving me with Rotty in the middle of Main Street. I didn't think about it before, but I wondered what Rotty would have wanted to do on our date. What do zombies like to do?

 _I guess step one was to ask._

"So, uh..." I started, not as smoothly as I wanted to. "What do you want to do?" I asked.

Rotty tapped her chin, thinking to herself. "Hm...I don't know." She said. "I've been to Scuttle Town a few times, but I haven't been everywhere..." Then, her eyes lit up, and she looked at me. "Let's go to the palace! I heard it's very beautiful!" She suggested.

It wasn't a bad idea. The palace wasn't huge, but there was plenty to look at. Perhaps we could even go to the library. Of course, we would need a library card for that. "Alright, sounds like a plan." I said.

"You mean a _date?"_ Rotty asked with a short giggle. Then, she hugged my arm, looking up at me with a sly smile. I blushed a little, rubbing the nape of my neck.

"R-Right...platonically though, right?" I teased, grinning.

Rotty rolled her eyes. "I know I was being shy before, but you're gonna have to do a _lot_ better than that to tease me, handsome..." She said, before hugging my arm into her breasts purposefully.

My face lit up red and I quickly began to lead her through the streets of Scuttle Town. "I-If we're going to the palace, we need to go past the fields and the forest, so it might be dangerous!" I stammered. Rotty only grinned and followed me, still holding onto my arm.

"Oh, I'm not worried! They can't be that tough!" She said. "Besides, you brought your sword. You'll protect me, right?" She asked.

I looked down at my hip, glancing at my sword. I never left home without it _or_ my bag. All my trips with Shantae might have made me paranoid about being prepared. But in this case, it really did pay off. "R-Right, of course. I'll be your bodyguard!" I joked. She laughed, blushing slightly as she rested her head against my shoulder. It was almost like we were an actual couple.

We continued to head through Scuttle Town until we reached the pathway leading into the fields. I looked at Rotty. "Alright, these guys are pretty weak, but stay close to me, okay?" I told Rotty.

"Of course! I'm right on your six!" She said enthusiasticly.

We headed into the Scarecrow Fields. The best way to describe it would be miles of corn stalks, reaching as high as ten feet. There were pumpkins scattered everywhere in random places. There was only one path, which headed straight to the forest. There were some marble columns and platforms between us and the forest, but as far as I can see, there were no scarecrows. We continued our walk. I was surprised to see that there were no scarecrows around, but I was relieved. If I was being honest, I didn't really feel like fighting _anything_ today.

"So..." I started, deciding to start a conversation with Rotty. "You've been having dreams about me?" I asked sarcastically.

Rotty only grinned. "Kinda, yeah! But like I said before, I'm not sure if it's you _exactly._ What Shantae said before actually makes sense...I think it might be someone from before..I became _this..."_ She said, raising her arms.

I looked back to her. _"This?"_ I questioned, unsure of what she meant by that implication.

She sighed as she stopped walking. I stopped as well. She pointed to herself suggestively. "You know..before I became a zombie.." She said, looking away. "I know it's not the most attractive body in the world..nobody would want to be with someone like me.."

I blinked. I was surprised to hear something like that from Rottytops of all people. She was usually so open about how she felt, and always so flirty. "You know, I've seen zombies before.." I started, getting Rotty's curious attention. "I've been to Spiderweb Island before with Shantae. The zombies I've fought are...well, _sluggish._ Rotten. Disgusting.."

I stepped closer to Rotty. She was surprised by my sudden proximity. I placed my hand on her shoulder and smiled a little. "You're none of those things, Rotty. You're a zombie, but you're more full of life than anyone I've met. Not to mention that your..well, _stunning_." I wasn't sure where all of this was coming from. In a way, I just didn't like seeing Rotty doubt herself like that. Besides, I meant every word of it. And she must of realized it, because she was smiling brightly.

"Oh, Y/N~! You're so sweet~!" She cooed, suddenly pulling me into an attack-hug. Her arms wrapped so tightly around my neck, she was practically choking me.

Wait. She _was_ choking me.

I started to hit my hand on her arm. "T-T-Time out—!" I struggled to speak. She realized what she was doing and released me. I immediately gasped for air, tugging on the collar of my shirt.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Rotty apologized, giving me a worried look. But I raised my hand.

"I-It's fine, no worries.." I said with a light chuckle. But there wasn't much time to laugh about what happened. Past the stalks, I heard rustling. I immediately drew my sword and looked around. Rotty became alerted as well, quickly getting into a defensive position behind me.

The rustling continued, before figures started to emerge from the stalks. Of course, they were scarecrows. _A lot_ of scarecrows. They were all different colors, and they surrounded us in no time at all. There was so many, I couldn't count.

"An ambush." I muttered. "And just when I thought we could avoid a fight." I scanned all of the scarecrows as they started to close in on us. "Rotty, you should try to get out of here. I can make an opening for you.." I started, but Rotty only smirked at me.

"It's okay, hero. I can handle a fight." She said. She reached down and pulled off her own left leg with ease. Another leg grew back instantly, too fast for me to even process.

 _That was new._

Rottytops swung her dismembered leg at a scarecrow, hitting it strong enough to send it flying back into the mob of scarecrows behind it. Rotty looked back at me and winked.

"Damn." I simply said. "Guess you were right."

I looked in front of me. The scarecrows continued to move in onto me. I got my sword ready and charged at them. I made a wide swing at the both of them, slashing their legs, then swinging again to cut open their chests. They fell into bundles of hay, losing life instantly.

It took two swings to defeat a scarecrow. It made me think about how Rotty was able to defeat a scarecrow with one hit from her own leg, but I decided not to question that logic. It's not like there were damage values or anything, _right?_

I continued to fight the scarecrows, slashing and swinging at them one by one. My fighting skills improved. Granted, these were only weak monsters. I still had a long way to go before I could take one _half_ the monsters Shantae fights against. Still, this was a good demonstration of how quickly I've improved within a few weeks. The mob seemed to never die down. But with me and Rotty defeating them one at a time, we finally destroyed the ambush, soon surrounded by nothing except piles of hay. I panted, looking around one final time before sheathing my sword.

"I think that's all of them..." I said, looking at Rotty. She dropped her extra leg and looked at me. She seemed a little out of breath as well.

"Looks like it.." She said. She then eyed me up and down. "You've gotten better." She said.

"Oh, yeah...ever since Tan Line Island, I've been practicing. If I'm gonna end up going on adventures for a living, I might as well get good at it." I explained, before I started to continue our walk down the path.

"I'll admit it. It's pretty sexy." She said with a grin, grabbing onto my arm again. I blushed a little. "So, you plan on being a professional adventurer then?" She asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Honestly, it wasn't what I had in mind when I came to Sequin Land. But hey, I'm hanging with the right crowd." I replied.

"Well, I'm glad that you decided to hang with this crowd." She said, smiling sweetly at me before letting go of my arm. My heart skipped a beat.

 _Was I having feelings for Rotty?_

Eventually, we reached the end of the fields. Unfortunately, that meant we reached the forest. The trees were enormous, towering over us like giants. There were plants everywhere, and fallen logs all over the place. We entered the forest, going down the path that led to the palace. The path led us straight to a mountainous boulder, which had a tunnel that went straight through it. I remembered Shantae telling me about this tunnel. She had cut through the entire boulder using Risky Boots' Scimitar in only a few seconds. I had trouble believing that, but now that I was looking at it, I started to actually believe her.

"We should go through the boulder." I suggested. "Personally I don't feel like climbing trees to get over it."

"Agreed." Rotty said, before we started to enter the dark tunnel.

We walked in silence for a few moments. I decided that, since there weren't any monsters in here, I would start a conversation again. "So, this guy in your dreams.." I said. "You said he was like me, but he's _not_ me. How can you tell?"

Rotty rubbed her arm. "It's...hard to explain. In truth, I can't even remember what he looked like. His image was... _blurry."_ She explained. I was confused, but curious by what she meant. "You remind me of him because..you have the same _feel._ I feel safe and open around you...you make me feel nice and warm.."

The more she talked, the more I blushed. "Well..what happens in the dream?" I asked.

"It's random every time, but there's one dream that occurs more often than the rest. I'm standing there, as if I'm glued to the floor. And he runs to me and hugs me..no, he _tackles_ me.." She spoke.

I raised my eyebrow. "Wait, tackle? That hardly sounds romantic." I said.

"It was in a panic." She finished. "Like..he was trying to get me to move.."

Then, we were silent. I was trying to piece the dreams together. This entire thing was bizarre to me. What could that possibly mean?

"So.." I started. "Maybe that means that we—"

Before I could finished, I stepped on a pile of rocks that were clearly not supported by anything. The floor suddenly caved in beneath me, forming some sort of sinkhole right at my feet. Before I could avoid it, I slipped through the hole, plummeting into the darkness.

"Y/N!" I heard Rotty yell, before her voice drained out.

 _There I fell, into the bottomless nothing as Rotty's voice drained out within mere moment._


	16. Chapter 16: Tuki

I plummeted into the darkness, falling for what felt like forever.

Wait, no. I was _sliding._ I realized that I could feel the earth beneath me as I slid through the trap hole. It twisted, curved, and might have even looped at one point. Eventually, I fell off the scary slide, and I was thrown into an open chamber. I slid and rolled across the ground ungracefully, scraping my knee. I hissed in pain and slowly begin to sit up, looking at my bloody knee. I opened my bag quickly and started to wipe off the blood. Unfortunately, I didn't have any kind of potions on me. Guess I would have to get one at the palace when me and Rotty got there...speaking of which, where was Rotty? I began to stand up carefully, limping to pick up my sword from the ground and walking up to the hole I slid through.

"Rotty?!" I called. But there was no answer. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it was worth a shot. I turned around, getting a good look around the chamber I found myself in. It was pretty small, and would have given anyone who was claustrophobic a heart attack. There were a few torches lining the walls, giving the room an ominous lighting. At the center of the room was a chest, no bigger than the average secret chest me and Shantae would find. Against the left side wall was a ladder that led through a manhole in the ceiling.

 _Must be the exit,_

I thought. But where was I? From what I guessed, it was some sort of secret room. I approached the chest curiously. Perhaps there was something of value inside? Or a potion?

Without hesitation, I flipped the lid open.

Instantly, a long, scaly figure burst out from the chest, standing tall in front of me. I backed up instantly, putting my hand over the handle of my sword. I looked up at the figure with wide eyes, fearing the worst.

"Aaah~! It's ssssoo good to stretch out~!" The apparent female said in relief. As I started to process what was going on, I got a good look of the figure before me. It was some sort of _snake woman._ Her upper body resembled that of a normal woman's, except her skin was green and scaly, with a yellowish underbelly. She had human arms with no differences other than having pointy fingertips. From her waist down was the body of a snake's. Her snake body was so large it would make any anaconda feel insecure, and I didn't even see the end of her tail yet. Her eyes were bright yellow with cold blue pupils, and her red hair was tied up into two pony tails. Her breasts were completely exposed. And unlike the scorpgals from Tan Line Island, she had nipples that perked up in response to the cold cave air.

To say the least, I felt _very_ uncomfortable on multiple levels.

"Welcome to my shop!" She snake girl hissed happily, staring me down. I blinked, still having trouble processing what I was looking at.

"I-I'm sorry, but...w-who are you?" I asked, doing my best not to stammer and failing terribly.

"Ah, my apologies. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Tuki. I sell items of valuable interessst..." She said, her split tongue hissing with every 's' sound she made.

I watched as her entire snake body curled around the room, taking up most of the space around me. She was _really_ _long._ The end of her tail finally left the chest and rested on the floor right in front of her, curling into a coil. I looked back at the chest she came from. It must have been bolted down with a hole that led beneath the ground, because there was no way she could have fit in there otherwise.

"I-Items of interest you say?" I asked curiously. Tuki's eyes glistened with excitement.

"Interesssted, are we?" She asked. She quickly rushed back to the chest, reaching inside of it with her arms. She rummaged around. "I have many things, like spells, genie dances, potionsss..."

"Potions?" I asked, looking down at my bloody knee. "How much for a potion or two?" I asked.

Tuki turned to look at me. Her eyes went down to look at my knee. "Twenty-five gemsss." She said. She pulled out a single health potion from her chest and slid towards me gracefully. She held the potion out to me. "But this one is free of charge." She said.

I was surprised. "Wow..really? T-Thank you!" I said, taking the potion. I didn't waste time in drinking it down. Tuki took the empty bottle from me and went to put it away. I looked down at my knee, seeing it heal up in no time at all. I started to wipe off the blood again.

"Don't mention it, dear. Customer ssservive is top priority!" Tuki said enthusiasticly. "Now...is there anything else I can interest you in?" She asked. Her voice was smooth and seductive, as if she was speaking right into my ear, despite being a fair distance from me.

"Well, I guess I'm a little curious..." I admitted. "Why have a shop down here?" I asked.

Tuki frowned a little. "The items I sell can be hard to acquire. Some of the guards just assume I steal them.." She said. "But I never stole anything in my life!"

"Wow. Sounds harsh." I said. "So, you hide out here now?" I looked around the room.

"Well...sort of. I travel the land every now and then, to ssspread the bussssinesss..." She said. She slithered up to me. "Since I have you here...is there anything you're insteresssted in?"

I tapped my chin, thinking of what I may need. Maybe I could get a genie dance for Shantae? Then again, she probably already knew of them. Tuki seemed like the type that Shantae would run into in her travels.

"Hmm...this may seem like a long shot, but do you happen to have a library card for sale?" I asked curiously. I must have surprised Tuki, because she just stared blankly at me for a moment.

"Library card...?" She repeated. She went back to her chest, reaching inside. "Hmm...I don't have any for sale, but I do have a card that I don't use anymore..." She said, pulling out the card. There wasn't a picture on it, which meant I could probably get away with using it.

"Huh. I guess you had it before you were run out of town, huh?" I said. "Well, if I could use it that'd be great!"

"Hold on now..." Tuki suddenly said. Her entire body began to coil in more, closing in on me. It made my body shiver a little. "I gave you a free potion, I can't just give you a free card now...what's you're offer?" She asked curiously, biting on her fingertip as she looked at me.

"Offer? Oh, of course! Erm, let me see..." I opened my bag, looking at what I had. Of course, I had no gems. I used the rest of my spending money on dinner last night, then breakfast this morning. I was supposed to be paid by Sky after this weekend, but obviously that wouldn't help me now. "Huh...I'm actually broke..." I said. "Are you in the market for anything? I can try to make a trade." I suggested, although I didn't think she would agree. Besides, I didn't have much of value.

Tuki considered the idea for a moment, looking up at the ceiling. She slowly began to go back to her chest. "Well...there's nothing I really need...unlessss.."

"Unless _what?"_ I asked curiously, tilting my head.

Tuki turned to me. She was holding an empty, clear vial in her hand. "I got a request from a woman from Scuttle Town for a... _ssspecial Aphrodisiac_...but I haven't been able to come up with the right concoction for the potion..." She slithered closer to me, this time closer than she's ever been. I began to worry. What did she want from me exactly? "You see, I'm missing an important ingredient that is very hard to get around here..." She said. "Sssooo, in return for the library card, I want your sperm..."

 _Wait, what?!_

"M-My _what?!"_ I asked, shocked by what she said.

"I know...it's very unprofesssional, but male sperm has perfect chemistry with my other... _ingredientss_ to increase hormones.." She said. Her long body coiled in more, until her scaly body rubbed against my legs gently. "It may be a little much for me to ask, but I can make you feel _very_ good..." She cooed.

I considered the thought. "B-But, you see, the problem is, I'm actually already seeing someone..." I began to say.

"You're with Shantae, correct?" Tuki asked.

I blinked, surprised that she knew. "Wait, how'd you know that?" I asked.

Tuki smiled knowingly. "Oh, it's my job to know these thingsss. I also know that you're with that zombie girl, Rottytopsss..." She said. She reached her arm out, placing her hand on my chest. Her touch was cold, yet sensual at the same time. "Shantae is such a lovely woman...not too long ago, we joined our bodies together in exchange for a powerful danccce..."

I blushed _hard_ when she said that. In fact, I wasn't even upset to hear about that. The image of a nude Shantae, being entangled in Tuki's body and moaning erotically was now burned in my mind forever. Tuki must have picked up on that, because her hand began to loop around my pants. "You're already getting hard...you dirty boy.." She teased seductively. Before I could protest or react, her scaly body began to coil around me. Her tail wrapped around my body, arms and legs. I tried to struggle, but it was useless. She had every single part of me held down. She giggled.

"I won't take advantage of you, darling.." She said. "But you should consider your optionss..with the library card, you could increase the chances of helping your friends get her memories back..." Her words were seducing, but also true. The royal library was supposed to be one of the best things about the palace. If I could somehow get her inside, I had to do it.

I sighed. "Okay, you have a deal. I'll...I'll do it..." I said, my voice trailing away as I finished my sentence. Tuki giggled, her upper body looming over me.

"Good boy~" She cooed. The tip of her tail began to loop around the waist of my pants, before pulling them down in one swoop.

"W-Wait, let me down fir—" I started, but I was interrupted by a sudden touch of wetness on my neck. I could feel her split tongue licking my collarbone, teasing me with light tickles. I grunted in surprise, my body tensing up in response. Her snake body shifted around me, rolling my shirt up to reveal my stomach and chest. Her cold, scaly hand ran down my body, reaching my waist.

Tuki lowered my boxers, freeing my hard cock from its confinement. She giggled softly before wrapping her fingers around my shaft, stroking it up and down. I moaned in response. "Cum whenever you want, darling..." She said.

Her cold body continued to slither and coil around me. It felt arousing and scary, because she could easily squeeze tightly and crush my entire body. I was mentally thankful she didn't seem to want to kill me. She stuck her thin tongue out again, this time sliding it across my chest. It was the only warm part of her body, which made sense considering that snakes were cold blooded. She licked my nipple teasingly, giving me goosebumps across my entire body. I hated being held helplessly like this, but oddly enough, it felt good.

She moved her hand more quickly, pumping my dick faster than I could handle. I felt my entire lower region swell up, and my legs stiffened in anticipation. I was getting _really_ close.

"Cum for me, dear.." Tuki whispered into my ear sensually. Her hand jerked me off relentlessly to the point where I couldn't hold it anymore. I moaned loudly before I finally came, arching my body slightly in her hold.

Tuki held out her vial and caught some of the sperm in it. The rest just splattered on the cave floor. She giggled as she put a corkscrew lid on the vial. _"Fufufu..._ you came lotsss..." She teased, going back to her treasure chest swiftly. She began to rummage through her chest once again, muttering to herself about whatever concoction she was planning. Her lower body began to uncoil itself around me, loosening her hold on me. She let me down on the ground carefully, finally letting go of me. I simply laid on the floor, panting to myself to catch my breath.

" _Huff...holy shit..."_ I muttered to myself, my chest rising and falling with each escaped breath.

Tuki turned to look at me when she heard me mutter. She looked at me with surprise for a moment before smirking. She began to slither back towards me. "My, my..." She cooed, her upper body sliding in between my legs. I sat up and looked at her. "You're still hard...your stamina iss..something else indeed.."

I chuckled nervously. I noticed her body move around us both, making a circle. I was impressed with how well she could control her large body. She lowered herself, wrapping her fingers around the base of my cock.

 _"Fufufu..._ You've already given so much to make plenty more potions than I need...I'll give you a _sspecial ssservice_ now..." She hissed slyly. Then she lowered herself further, until her breasts were rubbing against my dick. I blushed a little.

"I mean...you don't _have_ to.." I started to say. But it was too late at that point. She already begun to wrap her breasts around my cock. She started to massage it, moving her boobs up and down. They felt cold, but they were smooth...and _soft,_ surprisingly. "Ah...fuck..." I moaned, watching as she made work on my length with her breasts, which she squeezed in her hands. Her movements were hypnotic, and seductive. It only aroused me more.

She looked at me with eyes filled with a dangerous lust. She opened her mouth and slipped her long, thin tongue down. She wrapped it around the tip of my dick, squeezing it lightly as she continued her titjob. My body got hotter and hotter with every passing second. She must have been enjoying whatever expression I was making, because she only moved her breasts more intensely. They slapped against my hips every time she bounced them on my dick. I gritted my teeth. I could feel the same swelling pleasure again.

"T-Tuki..! I'm going to..!" I moaned, my body arching a little. But before I could cum, Tuki stopped, pulling her tongue away. "Ah..w-what.." I stammered, as the swelling feeling began to die down. My dick was throbbing aggressively, desperate for its release, but unable to reach it.

"Sorry darling, but I want you to last just a little longer..." She said, pulling her breasts away. She ran her hands up and down my sides, feeling up my whole body. "You're expressionsss..they make me ssso hot..."

"Y-You're such a seductress..." I managed to say, panting hard. I meant it, too. She really knew how to build me up. She continued to feel me up for a while longer, until I caught my breath.

"There...you should be able to continue now..." She said. She lowered herself again, but instead of using her breasts, she let her tongue wrap around my shaft entirely, massaging my dick.

I was surprised by how much control she had of her tongue as well. It wasn't as intense of a feeling, but it still felt good. _Really_ good. Her tongue unwrapped my dick, and she lowered her whole head, taking my dick into her mouth quickly.

"A-Ah..!" I moaned, not getting enough time to get used to the feeling of her warm mouth before she began sucking intensely. She moved her head up and down slowly, letting her sucking do most of the work. Her eyes looked at me with the same seductive look as before. I put my hand on her head, holding onto her hair as she moved. I felt her tongue coiling around my tip and shaft inside of her mouth as she bobbed her head slowly. From the outside, it looked like she was barely doing anything. But between the movement of her tongue and her rough sucking, her blowjob was _really_ intense. My entire body was being surged with electricity from the pleasure.

"F-Fuck! Tuki, I'm gonna..." I couldn't finish my sentence without moaning. This time, she didn't stop. She continued sucking my dick, letting me know she wanted me to cum in her mouth. I gripped her hair, gritting my teeth as the pleasure built up. And it was far more intense this time after being denied the release before. I soon reached my peak, unable to contain it anymore, and exploded in her mouth.

She didn't react with surprise at all. She only continued to slurp on my cock, sucking up every last drop of cum she could pull out of me. She didn't let any go to waste, drinking it all. She released my dick from her mouth, gasping for some air before she opened her mouth wide for me to see. There was nothing left.

I panted hard, completely out of breath. This took more out of me than the fight with the scarecrows. I laid there on the ground as Tuki let her hands run along my legs. "There...you're satisfied now, right dear..?" She cooed. I didn't answer for a little while, letting myself catch a breath first. I began to sit up again, looking at her.

"Y-Yeah, I'm satisfied now..." I mumbled, looking up to the ceiling.

"Mm..good...because I'm sure your friend is looking for you..." Tuki said, backing away from me. My eyes shot open.

"Rotty! Oh shit, she must be worried! Fuck, I can't believe I forgot about her!" I said, quickly pulling up my pants and grabbing my stuff. I rushed to the ladder, climbing up a little. Before I left through the manhole, I turned my head to look at Tuki. Now that I was a little higher, I could see her entire snake body tangled about, covering most of the cave floor.

 _She was really long._

"Don't forget thisss.." Tuki said. She raised herself up to be level with me, handing me the library card she promised. Then she laid down against her own coiled up body, laying across her back seductively. She waved at me, twirling her fingers cutely. "Be sure to come back, dear...we can alwaysss make another 'deal'..." She said slyly, her split tongue hanging from her lips.

I blushed a little, waving back to her before continuing to climb through the manhole. It became very dark, to point where I couldn't see. I eventually reached the end of the ladder, pushing up against the ceiling that the ladder lead to. It was just a light boulder covering up the manhole. I pushed it out of the way, climbing out and placing the boulder back in place.

I looked around. I found myself in the tunnel that led through the giant boulder in the forest. This was close to where I was last with Rottytops. But how long was I down there for?

I straightened myself up, and tried to calm down my flushed face. Then, I started walking, searching for Rotty.


	17. Chapter 17: Change of Plans

After escaping Tuki's secret room, I had begun searching for Rottytops in the tunnel. I began to wonder if she had already gone to the palace, but my thoughts were quelled when I spotted her further down the tunnel.

"Rotty!" I called, waving. Rotty turned around to look at me, and started running in my direction.

"Y/N!" She yelled, practically tackling me and nearly knocking me over. She hugged me tightly. "Where were you?! I was so scared!"

I rubbed her back gently. "I'm sorry I worried you, Rotty. But I was never in danger. It was actually just a secret passage to a room." I explained.

Rottytops pulled away from me and looked at me curiously. "A secret room?" She asked. "What was in the room?"

"At first I thought it was treasure." I said. "But it turned out to be a snake lady who sells stuff! I didn't have any money, but I managed to—"

"You had sex with her, didn't you?" Rotty asked me with a grin. I suddenly blushed, taking a step back.

"Wha- I- N-No! I didn't! What makes you say that?!" I stammered, embarrassed by the sudden confrontation.

"It's written all over your face! You _totally_ had sex with Tuki!" She teased.

"No! We didn't go all the way!" I argued. "B-But she did... _do stuff..._ " I admited, rubbing the back of my neck. But then I realized something. "Wait, how'd you know her name?" I asked.

"Oh, Tuki? I know her!" Rotty said. "She once sold me artificial brains to eat! She's really nice!" She grinned. "Still, I can't believe you did something naughty with another girl on our date..." Rotty pouted, crossing her arms.

"I-I know, I'm sorry...I honestly feel terrible about it..." I admitted.

Rotty's expression lightened up. "Eh, don't worry about it. Me and Shantae were talking about it anyways last week. We both kinda figured it would happen eventually when you meet Tuki."

"Wait, _seriously?"_ I questioned, surprised. Shantae _thought_ I would have sex with Tuki? "Why'd you guys figure that?"

"Because Tuki does it with _everyone!"_ Rotty exclaimed. "At least, everyone she wants to do it with...even _I_ did it with her!"

I blinked, surprised. Suddenly, I didn't feel so bad about it. "I-I see." I said simply. I was silent for a moment. Then I began to lead us through the tunnel again. "O-Oh, speaking of which, in exchange for... _all that,_ I got this library card!" I said, taking the card out to show her. Rotty leaned over to look at it closely.

"Woah! Seriously? That's awesome!" Rotty said with glee. "I actually kinda wanted to go there! I hear it's great!"

I nodded, putting the card in my bag. "So have I. It has some of the best works in all of Sequin Land." I said. At that point we reached the end of the tunnel, now past the giant boulder and heading towards the palace. I was surprised that we never ran into any monsters in the forest. Not even a single spider monster. I was thankful, though. I wasn't sure if I had it in me to fight anything at the moment. I was still recovering from my run-in with Tuki.

We reached the end of the forest path, and reached the bridge that crossed over water. We crossed the bridge, and Rotty looked ahead of us with eyes full of excitement. Before us stood the tall Sequin Land Palace.

"It's incredible!" Rotty exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the sidewalk. She pulled me towards the palace entrance, but as we approached, one of the palace guards stood in our way. The guards were all identical to the last detail on their blue armor. They didn't necessarily look intimidating, but they were big.

 _Personally, I thought the guards at Tan Line Temple were far more intimidating._

"Sorry, but we can't let you in." The guard said, eyeing us down.

Rotty crossed her arms, frowning. "Why not?" She asked with an annoyed tone.

"There have been a few incidents with skeletons close to the palace. For the safety of the Sultana, we cannot allow any undead inside." The guard then looked at Rottytops.

"What? This is discrimination! I shall not tolerate!" Rotty complained dramatically. But I was more surprised than upset.

"Skeletons? What are they doing so close to the palace?" I asked curiously.

The guard sighed. Then he spoke, this time a little more quietly. "Some skeletons came by and tried to fight through the main gate. It wasn't exactly a challenge, but it put all the guards on high alert." He explained. "Not only that, but people saw a few skeletons roaming the forest between here and Scuttle Town...we think there's a wizard summoning them around here.."

"The forest?" I repeated. I was shocked that we didn't run into any skeletons earlier. Not to mention that Rotty could have ran into them while I was down in that room with Tuki...

"I see...that does seem problematic..." I said. Then, I looked up to the guard. "Rotty is a zombie, yes. But she's no skeleton either. I've known her for a long time now, and I can assure you she's just a girl who wants to see the palace." I said. "I'm going to be with her the entire time as well, so nothing will happen." Me saying that I've known her for a long time _might have_ been a little exaggeration on my part, but I really did trust Rotty. The guard must have picked up on that and sighed.

"I hope I'm not making a mistake..." He muttered. "Alright, I'll grant you entry. But be on your best behavior. And don't go near the Sultana." He ordered, before opening the main door for us.

Rotty's eyes lit up. "Yes! Thank you! I take back what I said before!" She said, grabbing my hand and rushing inside, pulling me along with her. We roamed the hallways, it was somewhat dark, but it wasn't gloomy. Even if it was, Rotty probably wouldn't care about that. She seemed to love the palace regardless. "It's so _elegant!"_ She said. The pathways had round pillars running alongside the linear carpet, decorated with curled designs. There were tall candlesticks that held two small candles in a fork-like shape, placed a fair distance away from the purple drapes that hung from the ceiling. There were several paintings along the walls, varying in art styles and designs. Chandeliers hung right over the carpets, with six or so candles making a circle around the base.

Even _I_ was a little amazed. The guards may not have been as intimidating, but the decorations made Tan Line Temple look boring. "I love it!" Rotty proclaimed, looking at me with a grin. The way she smiled at me made me blush a little. I never thought I would _ever_ say this about a zombie in my life, but she was really cute.

"Let's go to the library!" She said, pulling me by my hand once again. She was definitely excited about this. The palace was _nice,_ but it wasn't anything to get this excited about.

 _Maybe she just doesn't get to go sightseeing often,_ I thought.

We headed down the hallway leading to the library. I had to take the lead, because Rotty didn't know where she was headed. Best we avoid accidentally going into the throne room anyways. I saw the door going into the library. As we approached, a feeble old man was exiting the library. He was exceptionally short, wearing a purple robe with pointy red shoes and a little red fez hat. He had big round glasses on, and was walking with a short cane.

He saw us approaching, and smiled warmly at us. "Hello! What brings you young folk here?" He asked us.

Before I could answer the old man, Rotty hugged my arm tightly and grinned. "We're on-a-date!" She sang cheerfully. The old man laughed a little.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to have it at the library. But may I see your library cards first?" He asked. That's when I realized he must have been the librarian. Then I realized that we _both_ needed cards.

 _Shit._

"Um...the lady's not from around here, but, uh, I have my card right here!" I said, reaching into my bag and pulling out the card. I handed it to the old man, hoping that he wouldn't be able to read the fine print.

I horribly misjudged his eyesight. He furrowed his eyebrows some, before looking up at me. "You're name is _Tuki?"_ He asked. "I thought Tuki was the snakewoman who used to be from around here.."

I was busted. "Oh, um, well, about that..." I stammered.

The librarian then laughed, catching both me and Rotty by surprised. "No need to worry, young man. I'm no guard. You can use the library for whatever you'd like. We have many books on ancient tales, legendary artifacts, and children stories!" He said.

I blinked. "You're letting us in? Without a card?" I asked.

"Yup! Barely anyone has a library card these days...it's such a waste of knowledge." The librarian explained, before turning away to leave as he was doing before. "Just be sure to keep it neat!" He said.

Rotty waved at the librarian as he left. "Thank you so much kind sir!" She called, before elbowing my side gently. "You're real smooth, you know that?" She teased with a smirk.

I rubbed my side before returning the look. "I have my moments." I replied, before leading us both into the library. It wasn't as large as I imagined it, but it had a lot of books, as promised. There were a few tables, a desk, and several shelves of books covering the walls.

Rotty grinned. "I've never been in a library before..." She said, looking around. I started to look around as well, picking a random book off from the shelf. I looked at the cover. It was titled, 'Guide to fatal and non-fatal plants in the wild.'

 _Neat._

Rotty pulled a book off a shelf and opened it up. "Check this out! It's a book about zombies!" She said excitedly. I looked over her shoulder, looking at the text as she did. Her excitement faded quickly.

"Hey, I'm not illiterate!" She said, frowning. I chuckled a little. "This book is full of lies!"

"But most zombies only groan and moan. You're not most zombies, Rotty." I said.

Rotty turned to look at me and smiled. But then it turned into a smirk. Her hand suddenly crawled up my chest. "I can _moan_ too, ya know..." She said quietly, as she shifted her body enough to cause the strap of her crop top to fall off her shoulder. My face turned red, and I nervously laughed.

"Haha, I bet you can..." I said awkwardly. But the awkwardness passed quickly when the library door opened. Rotty pulled her hand away from me and fixed her top. We both looked at the door, and the person that walked in was the _last_ person I expected.

 _"Squid Baron?"_ Me and Rotty said in unison. The large squid came in through the door, looking at us both and waving one of his stubby tentacles at us.

"Hey guys!" He said. "Long time no see!" He started to bounce towards us, stopping right in front of us. I blinked. I never really realized how large he really was, but he was _big._

"H-Hey.." I said. "What brings you here?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, the writer just needed a way to let you guys figure out something, but was lazy about it... _again.."_

 _He never failed to utterly confuse me._

"I-I see.." I replied shorthandedly. I decided to just go along with it. "And what is this _something?"_

"Oh, I just need to tell you guys about an ancient treasure hidden in the sewers beneath the palace. It's some kind of relic I think." He said. The news of this 'relic' caught Rotty's attention. It was pretty obvious from the way she suddenly looked up from her book.

"Oh really? And how would you know that?" I asked. Squid Baron simply laughed.

"Because I know my dungeons and secrets, man. Don't you remember when you found me in that treasure chest a few weeks ago? It's, like, my job and stuff!" He retorted. Truthfully, I still didn't really believe him. After all, he did betray my trust when I found him inside of that treasure chest on Tan Line Island. But Rotty seemed convinced by his story.

"Y/N! We should hunt that treasure!" She said, grabbing onto my hands. I looked at her and blushed.

"Well...okay..when?" I asked curiously. I didn't really think there was any treasure, but if Rotty wanted to spend more time together, I was down.

"Right now!" Rotty replied excitedly, waving my hands up and down aggressively.

I blinked, pulling my hands away before she gave me a headache. "Wait, now?" I questioned. "But..we're having a date, aren't we? You really want to have our date in a sewer?"

Rotty gave me a short look of contempt. "But it'll be an adventure! Just you and me!" She said, smiling. "You and Shantae bonded on Tan Line Island, and I sorta felt like a third wheel..." She admitted.

I was surprised by what she said. I never thought about how Rotty felt back then, and even now. I remembered the night we spent in the garden, when I was by the stream, and Rotty came to talk to me, and helped me get over my doubts when I was crushing on Shantae. I also remembered when Rotty told me that she liked me then. She really must have felt out of place back then. In fact, she probably felt out of place being around me and Shantae even now, when we're together. Especially since her and Shantae used to be good friends.

I sighed softly and looked back at her. She was still smiling hopefully at me. "Alright." I said. "Let's find this relic...or treasure..or whatever it is." I replied with a smile.

Rotty grinned at me. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She said, wrapping her arms around my neck tightly. She was hopping with excitement.

"Cool! I would suggest bringing Shantae along...genie powers are useful, ya know? But she's not around, so I guess you guys are on your own!" Squid Baron said, reminding us that he was still present. "I'm gonna go...try to find a travel brochure or something...I need a vacation before my next boss fight is scheduled! At least, that's just the writer's excuse to get rid of me!" He said, bouncing out of the library just as quickly as he came.

 _How did he know Shantae was gone?_

"...I never get that guy." I muttered. I looked back at Rotty. She hadn't paid any attention to Squid Baron. She was just beaming at me.

"I'm so excited!" She said. "It's gonna be great! You and I will be emotionally bonding...finding a treasure that's potentially disappointing...and having good ol' fashioned sex right after!" Rotty said, with more enthusiasm than I could handle.

I chuckled nervously and tugged on the collar of my shirt. "I-I don't think that's really a good idea.." I said.

Rotty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we'll see if I can't change your mind later, handsome." She said, giving me a teasing wink.

 _At least, I thought it was teasing._

"Okay...so let's go over what we know...it's a relic...in the sewers...not much to go on.." I said, rubbing my chin. But before I could dwell on the thought, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and started to pull me out of the library.

"Come on! The day is already halfway over!" She said cheerfully, pulling me through the palace hallways.

I wasn't sure what this mini-adventure would bring, but I had a creeping suspicion that it would bite me in the ass later.

 _Whatever._ I thought. _Let's get this treasure._


	18. Chapter 18: A Date In The Sewers

After Rotty and I left the palace, we found a manhole to the far left of the palace, which undoubtedly led to the sewers. As I lifted the cover off, I looked down the dark tunnel beneath us. I then looked back up to Rotty. "Are you sure this is a good idea to finish our date with?" I asked. "I mean, I don't really see how exploring a smelly tunnel could be romantic..."

"Quit being a baby!" Rotty teased, pushing past me to get to the manhole. She began to climb down the ladder before looking up at me with a grin. "The sewer can't be _that_ bad..." She said, before jumping off the ladder and landing on her feet.

 _Doubtful,_ I thought.

I followed close behind, climbing down the ladder before reaching the ground. As my feet touched the ground, I looked around. It didn't smell good, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. In fact, the water flow wasn't _that_ disgusting. It wasn't clean or fresh, but it was still clear, and there was no muck. Which was odd, because the sewers back from where I came from were _horrendously_ disgusting. The sewer tunnels weren't exactly like the ones from my previous home either, but they were similar in structure.

"Huh. It's not so bad down here." I said. Rotty chuckled a little before pushing my shoulder.

"Told ya' so!" She said. "It's not like a lot of waste would go underneath the palace anyways..doesn't seem like there's a lot of people around here." She said.

 _She had a point._

"Well." I said, huffing out before beginning to lead Rotty down the tunnel. "Guess we should look for something out of place then."

Rotty followed me down the tunnels. We followed the water flow for a while, before turning right into a smaller man tunnel. As we crossed through, we reached a staircase that led to a lower water tunnel. I began to feel lost. We haven't gone that far, but there was just so much ground to cover, I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I was overwhelmed. The sewer wasn't as disgusting as I had thought it would be, but that didn't mean it was pleasant.

Rotty stayed close behind me, before suddenly bursting out, "Over there!" She started to run down the tunnel. I ran after her. Then, she stopped. I stopped behind her, and realized why she stopped. Right in front of us was an enourmous pit. The water flowed right off the edge and made a waterfall, going straight down into a pool of sewer water. Not exactly the kind of water I'd want to bathe in.

"I mean..this is cool..." I said, unsure of what Rotty was so sure of. I hoped that she wasn't about to suggest we jump.

"Pipe down and look ahead, stupid!" Rotty said. I looked ahead of us as she said, and noticed that across the giant pit was another tunnel. But it didn't seem to lead anywhere. It just led to a blank wall. And there was no water or side tunnels. Just a suspicious looking button against the tunnel wall.

"Looks pretty suspicious to me!" Rotty said.

"I agree, but how do we get across?" I asked. "I'm guessing that button makes a bridge or something, but it looks like you need some kind of genie dance to get across, like a bat..but Shantae isn't here.." I rubbed my chin, thinking.

Rotty frowned at the mention of Shantae, crossing her arms. Then her eyes lit up with an idea. "We don't need Shantae! I can get us across!" She exclaimed. "But I need your help, Y/N!"

I looked at her. I was unsure if she really could get across, but I decided not to doubt her. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to throw me across, like a really big baseball. Don't worry, I can take the pain!" She said, placing her hands on either side of her head. "Oh! And...please don't freak out, okay sweetie?"

Before I could get a chance to question what she meant by _throw her,_ she yanked her head off, making a cartoonish _pop_ sound as it came off. My eyes widened with both shock and fear. But I didn't freak out. I remembered that she was a zombie, and there was nothing _grotesque_ about it. In fact, it was almost cartoonish. She held her own head out to me, forcefully placing it in my hands. I looked down at her head, blinking. She still seemed very much alive. She grinned up at me as I held her.

"Hi!" She said.

"U-Um...h-hi..." I stammered.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Toss me, mister!" She joked, as her headless body pointed at the other side of the pit in a sassy manner.

"A-Alright! But what if I miss? What if you head drops down there?!" I asked, panicking at the thought of fucking up, and losing her head forever.

"Don't worry, I can always grow another one!" She said. I recalled how she was able to regrow her leg back at the fields. I was slightly disturbed by the fact that the same could be done with her head.

I took a deep breath, approaching the edge of the pit. "Alright...I trust you." I said.

"And I trust you, Y/N! Now send me flying!" She said with enthusiasm.

I sighed. I suppose I was really about to do this. I reeled my arm back, before swinging it as hard as I could, launching her head across the pit.

"WEEEE!" She squealed with delight as her head was sent flying, her voice becoming quieter as she got farther away, but still echoing back to me because of the sewer walls. Shockingly enough, I got it on the first throw. Her head landed in the tunnel across from us, rolling on the floor uselessly.

My expression deadened a little as I came to realize that her body was _still beside me._ "W-Wait, how is she gonna press the button if she's just a—"

Before I could finish, her body suddenly dived right off the edge, plummeting towards the water pool below. I watched in horror before looking back up to her head. She was a little far away, so I couldn't see it in detail, but I witnessed her entire body grow back from her neck in an instant. There was no blood or any gore when she grew limbs back, so I wasn't scared. I was just... _unprepared._

Rotty, now being fully grown and completely together, pressed the button on the wall. As I thought, it caused a bridge to protrude from beneath me, going straight to the other end to where Rotty was. I crossed the bridge, looking at her.

"How the hell...?" I began to ask, but Rotty simply grinned at me.

"It's all part of being a zombie!" She said. "It has it's perks! Plus, it makes me a lot more flexible!" She gave me a wink along with her last comment, but I was so distracted by the fact that her body was completely like it was before that I didn't even catch on.

"Wait, how did you grow your clothes too?!" I asked.

"Oh! That's a secret!" Rotty said, smiling at me before turning her back to me to face the door.

 _...Questions for later, then._

I moved on from the terrifying thoughts and looked at the wall before us. It was made of stone bricks, all blended together seamlessly. It was also completely blank, which was definitely out of place. "You think it's a secret door?!" Rotty asked excitedly.

"Possibly.." I muttered. I rubbed my hand over the wall, feeling the bricks. They were all rough, but they had blended together over the years. All except for one of them, which still had the seams all around it. I touched it gently, staring at it before pushing my hand against it. It moved like a Jenga block, and the wall suddenly began to split apart, creating an entryway.

"Wow, that was good!" Rotty said. "Since when were you so smart?" She looked at me.

I smirked a little, shrugging. "I got better over the past few weeks. Besides, I gotta show off for the cute girl, right?" I teased.

Rotty blushed in response, but she only gave me a grin. "Well well, look at you Mr. Smooth. Keep that up and this relic won't be the only reward you get tonight." She said, biting her lip.

I blushed, but I didn't protest _. Was that a bad thing?_

I decided to move past what just happened between us and began to step through the entryway, with Rottytops following me with a puff of her chest and a frown. "Jerk." She muttered.

We entered a large hallway, which was uniquely designed in comparison to the rest of the sewer tunnels. The ceiling rose much higher than it needed to, likely about thirty feet high. The hallway was wide, and there was an open gate at the other end. The walls were smooth and flat, with ancient looking pictures carved into them. There were unlit torches aligned across the walls. I decided to get a better look and approached the wall. It was dark, but I could still make out the art. They depicted genies, casting various spells and doing magic dances.

I heard Rotty groan. "Why does it have to be genies..." She said in annoyance.

I looked at her. "Got a problem with genies?" I chuckled a little.

"No, not at all! It's just...it's like Shantae still has to do with this whole thing!" She said. "This is supposed to be _our_ date!"

I sighed softly, looking back at the wall. I sort of got what she was saying. _Sort of._

I walked close to her and patted her head gently. "I don't really think so." I said. "I mean, you managed to get past that pit without Shantae! Way to use your head on that one!" I definetly meant to throw the pun in, but Rotty didn't react to it. She didn't even give so much as a smile.

"I know, but...look around. This place is obviously meant for genies...Shantae was probably supposed to get across with her dance and get whatever this relic is..." Rotty mumbled sadly. I thought about it for a moment. She was probably right. This place did seem to be meant for some sort of genie. But I focused more on comforting Rotty.

"That only means that you're just as good. Trust me Rotty, I didn't even think this relic existed. I thought Squid Baron was making up nonsense like he normally does. But so far, I've been having a blast with you.." I said reassuringly. Rotty looked up at me and smiled slightly. Her smile was so genuine that it tug my heart strings slightly.

"Y-You're only saying that because you got a blowjob from Tuki..." Rotty teased. But before I could answer, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me down, giving me a kiss on my cheek. She let go and smiled at me again. "You're a real sweet guy Y/N, you know that?"

I only grinned. "I heard it once or twice. But thanks, Rotty." I said. "Now let's get that relic."

Rotty nodded, looking ahead of us. We got our focus back on the task at hand and started to head down the hallway. But as we approached the gate, it suddenly closed. Then, the entryway we came in through closed, making the room pitch black.

"Y/N, what's going on?!" Rotty asked, grabbing my hand tightly. I was glad she did, so that I knew she was still beside me.

"I-I'm not sure.." I said, pulling out my sword in my other hand.

Suddenly, as of on cue, all of the torches were lit, giving the room an ominous lighting. A secret panel opened up on the floor in front of the now-closed gate, and a large stone monster started to rise from the panel. The creature was huge. Easily double my height. It resembled a knight of some sort, with armor featuring round features and a large sword. In fact, the armor looked exactly like the armor that the palace guards wore. But I didn't get time to think more on that, because the stone knight began to walk towards us.

"Y/N, that thing isn't alive!" Rotty suddenly said. "It's just some kind of magic affecting the stone! We need to find the source!"

 _'We?'_

I looked at Rotty, who had already pulled her leg off to use as a weapon. I grinned a little, glad that she was going to fight too. Otherwise, it wouldn't be as fun.

The stone knight charged, swinging its sword straight down on top of us. We both jumped opposite sides from on another, dodging the stone blade as it hit the ground. The sword dug into the ground, getting itself stuck. As the knight tried to pull it out, I eyed it down, looking for a weakness or a stone out of place. But I couldn't find anything. And I couldn't just charge and swing, either. My sword would get chipped on the stone and the knight wouldn't be affected.

Rotty seemed to have the same idea with her leg, because she didn't charge either. The knight pulled the sword out and looked at me, charging me with murderous intent. "Y/N!!" Rotty yelled, as I dodged the knights side swing by ducking under it. "There's a weird cut in its back!"

Rotty yelling caught the creature's attention. It turned around to glance at Rotty. As it did so, I got a good view of it's backside. There were two cuts in the stone body, crossing each other to make an 'X' shape.

 _That must be a weakness of some sort._

"Get its attention!" I called to Rotty. Rotty nodded back to me with a smirk before tossing her leg at the knight suddenly, now getting it's full attention.

"HEY CYCLOPS!" She yelled. She pulled down on her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the knight.

 _She had no idea what a cyclops actually was, did she?_

I didn't complain, because it worked. The knight charged at Rotty. Her eyes widened as she suddenly jumped out of the way to dodge the blade. The knight had swung from the side as hard as it could, but since Rotty dodged, the sword hit the wall directly, cutting deep into the stone wall. A large, noticeably ominous crack formed from the wrecked wall, stretching up towards the ceiling.

 _Here was my chance._

I rushed towards the knight, who was trying to get its sword unstuck from the wall. I brought my sword up and lunged forward, stabbing it right into the crack on its back. The knight fell to its knees as I pushed the sword even further. The crack grew around its torso, expanding through its body. It began to fall apart, piece by piece. It suddenly turned around as it crumbled apart. Since I was still holding onto the handle, the sudden spin threw me across the hallway. I slid across the stone floor, groaning in pain.

I looked up to see the knight charging at me. It was clear that the knight was done for; its arm had fallen off, and it was still crumbling apart. But it still had some fight left. It reached out to grab me, and I held my arms up, desperately trying to protect myself out of panick. But the knight couldn't reach me before it finally fell into a pile of stone, its crumbled hand landing inches away from me.

I peeked out past my arms to see the defeated stone knight. Then I began to stand up, dusting myself off before laughing. "That's what happens when you mess with the best!" I exclaimed heroically. I looked up to see both the gate and the entrance open wide again, which meant we could continue.

Rottytops ran up to my and put her hands on my shoulders. "Are you alright? That thing threw you really far!" She asked with worry.

I looked down at myself. I wasn't injured, luckily. I didn't get any more potions from Tuki like I wanted to earlier. But that wasn't a problem now, because I only had a few bruises. "Don't worry, I'm fine Rotty.." I said reassuringly. I stepped towards the pile of rubble and pulled my sword out from the stone remains, and looked up to her to see her smiling at me.

"You never fail to surprise me." She said. "You were pretty badass there."

I grinned. "I know, right? That thing was way too easy to beat!"

"Yeah, but only because I told you where it's weakness was!" She said suddenly. "You should be thanking me!"

I laughed a little. "You're right, you've saved me quite a few times. Thank you, Rotty." I said.

Rotty blushed a little before glancing away. "G-Geez, way to embarrass me..." She said, fixing her green hair.

I blinked. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

I was interrupted by Rotty when she suddenly looked up to me, quickly kissing my lips before pulling away. I was left stunned.

"W-Why do you have to be so damn handsome, even when you're apologizing..." She muttered.

I was baffled. But most importantly, I was worried. I was with Shantae. I already did something I shouldn't have with Tuki, even _if_ Shantae supposedly expected it, so I shouldn't pursue this relationship with Rotty.

I took her hand in my own. It was going to be really hard to say this. "...Rotty, I—"

"Hey there guys!" A familiar voice said from behind us.

 _Was I not allowed to finish my damn sentences anymore?!_

Both me and Rotty looked up towards the entrance we came through to see Squid Baron standing there, grinning at us. "Squid Baron? What are you doing here?" I asked curiously. "I thought you were going to be busy.."

"Sorry about that, but I lied!" He replied. Then his friendly grin turned into a more menacing one. "The writer wasn't being lazy! I have a _purpose_ now!"

 _I didn't like where this was going._

"What do you mean?" Rotty asked curiously, taking a step back. She must have picked up on the same ominous feeling I had.

"I would explain, but it'd be rude for me to explain it all without introducing my partner in crime first!" Squid Baron said.

Before I could question him, he bounced out of the way of the entrance. A purple cloaked figure glided in. Black smoke trailed behind him as he came into the light, revealing his face underneath his cloaked hood. It wasn't a face at all. It was a glowing skull, with intimidating yellow eyes. I've never seen him in my life, but the ominous aura that came from him gave him away far too easily. I muttered his name with malice.

 _"Hypno Baron."_


	19. Chapter 19: Return of the Dastardly Duo!

_"Hypno Baron."_

Just saying his name caused a chill to go down my spine. The skeletal wizard was now facing us, his eyes piercing at me as if he was reading my mind. He was very evil cliché looking, with a glowing skull face and white, skeletal hands. The rest of his physical appearance was concealed in his large cloak, which was purple with gold accents. He cackled a little, and then eyed down Rottytops.

"I'm surprised to see one of the _zombies_ here. You never told me she was with him, Squid Baron.." Hypno Baron said, loud enough for us to hear.

"I forgot to mention it. It also adds suspense!" Squid Baron replied, jiggling his entire body as he said the word 'suspense.'

Rotty stomped her foot on the ground. "I'm surprised to see _you_ here, ugly! A few days ago you were marching right into our mansion and kicking us out! What the hell are you doing _here?!"_ Rotty asked with annoyance. I had to admit, I wanted to know as well. Shantae had left to go fight him. But now that he's here, what did that mean for Shantae?

"Foolish girl! I don't care about that castle anymore! All it did for me was house my skeletal minions, which I now have a far better place to do so!" Hypno Baron retorted. "As for why I'm here, I am here to take the relic for myself, of course! I will use it to engulf Sequin Land in a new age of darkness! I—"

"Hang on, let me stop you right there!" I interrupted him, holding my hands up dramatically. _Finally, it was my turn to interrupt someone else._ "You mentioned skeletons...are you behind the skeleton attacks on the palace?"

Rotty looked at me. "That's right, I forgot about that...the guard mentioned something about skeletons..." She mumbled to herself, looking at me for a moment.

"Humph. That is correct, _Y/N,_ but believe me when I say that if I actually _tried_ to destroy the palace, I would have done more damage than the Pirate Master himself!" Hypno Baron snarked. "Those attacks were a mere distraction to draw attention away from the sewers!"

"Distraction...?" I mumbled, thinking. Then, it clicked in my head. The reason why Hypno Baron had bothered to take back the mansion from Rottytops and her brothers. Rotty must have understood as well, because she spoke up.

"You took our home just to draw Shantae away from Scuttle Town!" Rotty said out loud, pointing at Hypno Baron accusingly.

"Yes! My plan is so perfect! So _evil!"_ He said in response, rubbing his hands together. On my first impression of him, I found him scary. But now I came to realize he was just a cliché villian.

 _Probably gonna try to give us another monologue,_ I thought.

Hypno Baron suddenly looked at me, squinting his eyes angrily. "I don't have anything to monologue about, _insect."_ He suddenly said. It caught me totally off guard. I began to panic at the realization.

 _He can read my mind?!_

"Yes, I can." Hypno Baron said. Rotty gave me a confused look, not getting what was going on. I looked back at Hypno Baron. He didn't have a mouth, but I could tell he would be smirking if he did.

I then looked at Squid Baron. "But, I still don't understand what _you're_ getting out of this, Squid Baron...why team up with Hypno Baron? Why tell us about the relic?" I asked.

Squid Baron grinned menacingly. "Because I'm sick of being at mid-game boss level! I'm sick of being inserted into fan fictions for useless purposes! I want to have my very own game! My own novel!" He exclaimed dramatically, ranting about his 'marketing image' of whatever. I still had absolutely no fuckingidea what he was talking about, and neither did Rottytops by the looks of it.

Squid Baron continued, "We thought that you'd go with Shantae to the castle, and the zombies would stay out of our way! But you stayed in Scuttle Town...and you went to the Palace! You were far too close to the relic! So we decided that we could use you to defeat the guardian of the relic for us and save us the trouble!" He said, crossing his two front tentacles together as though they were arms.

"Yes, it was a diabolical plan indeed!" Hypno Baron said. "And once we kill you, we'll seize the relic for ourselves! After Squid Baron establishes his entertainment career, I will use the relic to douse the world in a hellish cloud of darkness and death, and I will—"

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for villainous monologing!" Rotty yelled, holding her dismembered leg out in an offensive stance. "You're not killing anyone! You won't have this relic!"

I grinned when Rotty spoke out bravely. I readied my sword, staring down the two Barons. "What she said! We beat Ammo Baron in a fucking _mech suit!_ What do you have? Besides being able to read minds and make ink?!"

Hypno Baron lowered his head, slowly bringing his skeletal hands together. "We have the power of dark magic..." He said coldly, as green magic energy began to form around his hands.

"And we have bounce attacks...!" Squid Baron added. His body began to vibrate violently, building up kinetic energy. Hypno Baron slowly began to levitate off the ground, flying several feet up and floating above Squid Baron. He fired the magic energy at Squid Baron, who suddenly started to get powered up by the magic.

My confidence faded quickly. This would not be as easy as I thought. And I didn't think it'd be easy from the start"Shit..." I looked at Rotty. "Got a game plan?"

She looked at me blankly, before talking. "I'm lost on ideas for this one. Let's just try playing it defensively?" She suggested.

 _This was going to be fun._

The two Barons started their attack. With Hypno Baron floating above Squid Baron, they charged at us. Squid Baron slid his body towards us, _fast,_ spinning at an unnatural velocity. Luckily, we both reacted in time and dodged out of the way. Squid Baron bounced off the wall and slid towards me without any loss in speed, as though he was a puck on an air hockey table.

He was only going in a straight line, so I was able to roll sideways out of the way to dodge him. But it was barely a miss. He was way too fast for me to react to his attacks perfectly. Which also meant I couldn't get in close distance to get a hit in with my sword. I started to wish that I learned how to use fireballs. Or maybe I should have just gotten a firearm instead of this _stupid sword._

I didn't have enough time to dwell more on that thought, because Squid Baron stopped sliding, facing towards me. He roared a battle cry, which was both goofy and terrifying. "HH-HOOOO!! I'M GETTING ANGRY!" He yelled. Then he began to bounce up and down from the ground, slowly inching towards me. Then he leaped several feet into the air, coming down from right above me.

"Shit—!" I barely dodged as he slammed into the ground where I was standing. He didn't hit me, but his slam sent waves of green energy rippling through the ground, sending me flying across the hallway. I slammed into the stone wall, right by the giant stone sword that got stuck there earlier. The wind got knocked right out of me, and I gasped for air for a moment, slowly coming back from my dizziness.

I looked up to see Rottytops at the far end of the hallway, pulling her head off. She got ready to throw it Hypno Baron, but he was paying attention. He threw a green fireball at Rotty's feet, causing her to stumble back and drop her head. Rotty was the only form of ranged attacks we had, and Hypno Baron was keeping her in check. His aim wasn't that good, since he was too busy powering up Squid Baron, but it was good enough to keep Rotty at bay.

 _There had to be a way to beat them._

As Squid Baron started to charge up his next attack, I looked at the wall behind me. When I had slammed into the wall, the cracks that had formed earlier from the Stone Knight only grew, stretching out onto the ceiling. I looked up at them, realizing that the supports were getting weaker. In fact, there were no supports at all. For such a wide hallway, you'd think there were columns. But the walls were the only supports. If I had any more force, the ceiling might have just caved in...

 _Wait._

That's how we can beat them. We make the _entire hall_ cave in on top of them. It was a long shot, and horribly dangerous, but my luck hasn't failed me yet. I just needed to figure out how I was going to do enough damage to make the ceiling collapse. I didn't get a lot of time to think it over, because Squid Baron was already doing his spinning charge attack towards me. I ran out of his line of movement, making him hit the wall behind me. I watched as the cracks grew more when he hit the wall, with small pebbles falling from the ceiling. Both Hypno Baron and Squid Baron didn't notice the damage.

 _There's an option,_ I thought.

Squid Baron charged at me again. This time, I wasn't able to dodge it. He hit me dead on, causing me to slide across the floor. I slid right in front of Rotty, who reattached her head at some point during the fight. She bent down to help me stand up. "Y/N! Are you alright?!" She asked with worry. I stood up, groaning a little.

"I-I'm fine..it's just...close quarters isn't working so well for me right now..." I said. I felt a stinging pain in my arm, where Squid Baron hit me directly at. Not to mention my back was hurting from being launched into the stone wall.

"Ranged isn't working either...it takes too long for me to throw my head, Hypno Baron just fires at me." Rotty replied.

Squid Baron took a moment to gloat at us from across the hallway. "Together, we are unbeatable! The evil duo, unstoppable in our diabolical marketing plans!" He yelled. I winced a little, rubbing my arm. Squid Baron must have injured it. Nothing a potion couldn't fix, but I still didn't have any.

"Rotty, I have a plan..." I said, huffing a little from exhaustion. "The ceiling is close to collapsing...if we can get Squid Baron to hit that wall over there hard enough, we can make a run towards the gate and block them out.." I said.

Rotty didn't answer for a moment. "That...sounds awfully dangerous, Y/N..." She said. "But I trust you." I looked at her and nodded, then looked at the two Barons. They were preparing another attack. We needed a game plan.

"I need him to hit right near the Stone Knight's sword on the wall, but I need to get over there first.." I said. "You should try to distract them while I make a run for it. Stay ranged; Hypno Baron can't aim well while he's powering Squid Baron up, so you'll be safer like that." I explained. I glanced at Rotty, and she nodded to me.

"Understood." She said. "Just be careful, okay?"

 _I'll try._

Rotty started to run, creating distance between us. She pulled her arm off and threw it at Hypno Baron. Hypno Baron raised his arm and fired lightning at her in retaliation. Rotty dodged like a pro and threw another limb. "The zombie girl is becoming a problem. They probably want to play ranged...go after her, Squid Baron!" Hypno Baron commanded.

"As you say, evil partner!!" Squid Baron yelled dramatically, before leaping towards Rotty. She began to run away, keeping distance just as I said. Now was my chance to make a run for it. I dashed towards the damaged wall, wondering how I would get Squid Baron to charge at me again. Since he was so far away now, he would likely have to leap towards me. If I could get him to slam the wall with Hypno Baron's power up...

 _But what could possibly get Squid Barons attention?_

I didn't have time to think. As they chased her to the gate, Hypno Baron fired a yellow blast towards Rotty. The blast turned into a yellow goo and stuck right to her feet, sticking her to the ground. She couldn't run. They were closing in on her. I had to act fast. I raised my hands up, waving frantically. "SQUID BARON! YOU'RE NOT FINAL BOSS MATERIAL! YOU'RE FIRST BOSS MATERIAL AT MOST!" I yelled. I wasn't sure just how many people would fall for the classic _'yell an insult'_ strategy, but I was sure it would work this time.

Squid Baron turned to face me. He had anger painted all over his face. "WW-WWHAT?! HOW DARE YOU!!" He yelled dramatically. His entire body began to glow yellow and green. He was charging up.

Hypno Baron must have caught on to something, because he tried to stop powering up Squid Baron. "H-Hang on, he's deceiving you!" He tried saying. But it was far too late. Squid Baron was powered up and angry. He began to bounce up and down with godlike speed, and suddenly leaped in my direction, nearly turning into a green fireball as he flew towards me.

I jumped out of the way, and Squid Baron slammed into the wall with a powerful force, sending air ripples throughout the hallway. The entire wall began to crumble, and in turn, so did the ceiling. The room began to rumble violently as pebbles fell from above. Squid Baron looked up at the ceiling with wide eyes. "Uh oh..." He mumbled. Hypno Baron flew towards him, hovering right beside him and raising his arms up. A yellow shield formed around them. He was preparing for the collapse.

I did _not_ have a bubble shield. So I started to run. Large chunks of debris began falling. Within moments, the hallway would cave in. I ran towards Rotty, who was still stuck to the ground from Hypno Barons glue. She was desperately yanking her legs, trying to get free. I would have figured she could just detach her legs. But for some reason, she couldn't. Or at least, she didn't seem to try. The gate was only a few feet away from her, but she couldn't get there.

Rotty looked at me with dreadful fear in her eyes. The look she gave me was so real, and yet so...distant. Like she wasn't really looking at _me_. "Sam!!" She cried.

"Rotty!" I yelled. I could hear the room caving in behind me. A giant chunk of debris came down, hurdling towards Rotty. I didn't have time to panick or think. I only had time to act. I tackled her with as much force as I could towards the gate. The room suddenly went pitch black. I practically went deaf from the sound of the hallway collapsing right next to me. I wasn't sure what happened, but I feared the worst as the entire room rumbled.

 _Then, the rumbling stopped. And there was nothing but silence._


	20. Chapter 20: Things of the Past

When the commotion finally died down, I took a moment to recollect myself and process what I could. The room was pitch black, so I couldn't see. But considering that I _wasn't_ flattened yet, I knew that I was past the gate. I also felt Rottytops squirming a little underneath me, groaning softly, which meant that I managed to get her in time.

 _Thank god._

"R-Rotty! Are you alright?!" I asked in a panick, slowly getting up from on top of Rotty. But she didn't answer. She was groaning, which let me know that she was alive. Well, for a zombie anywaysBut did she hear me? "Rotty? Rotty, can you hear me?!"

"N-Ngh...S-Sam...?" She mumbled under her breath. I remembered her calling me that moments before, when the room was collapsing.

 _But who was Sam?_

She started to sit up. She brushed against me, and flinched in response. I put my hand on her shoulder. My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness so I could see her. _Barely._ She looked towards me. "Y-Y/N...? What happened?" She asked. But then everything came back to her in an instant. She gasped and hugged me tightly. "Are you okay?! Am I okay?! Are we dead?!"

"N-No, I don't think we're dead.." I said, patting her back gently. "I can still feel my back hurting like hell...I think we made it past the gate in time.." I said. Rotty pulled away to look at me. She was silent for a moment.

"You...you saved me.." She said softly.

I blushed slightly from her soft voice. But then I regained my composure and grinned. "Hell yeah I did! I told you earlier I'd protect you, didn't I?" I bragged. Rotty didn't answer me. I was a little unsettled by her pauses, and the name she mumbled...did she remember something? But my worries were washed away when Rotty suddenly pulled me by the collar of my shirt, kissing me.

The kiss was so aggressive, yet so passionate at the same time. My eyes were wide with shock from the sudden affection. She gripped tightly on the collar of my shirt, kissing me for a solid five seconds before pulling away. I was still stunned, and my face was bright red. It was a good thing it was dark, otherwise she would have seen my face.

"T-Thank you, Y/N..." She mumbled. She paused again for a moment. Then, she spoke again. "I—"

Before she could start, the room we were in was suddenly filled with light again. Torches were lit magically all around us, lighting up the room we were in. I finally got to see our surroundings. We were in a wide, circular room with an elevated alter in the center. At the center of the alter was a pedestal, with some sort of glittery item sitting on it.

 _"Woah."_

I muttered simply. It was a very elegant room. And unlike the hallway we had our fight in, there were columns all around the alter. Good thing, too. There may have been a chance this room would have collapsed as well if there weren't.

"Wait..." Rotty began to say. "I think I've seen that thing before!" She suddenly started to climb on the alter, heading towards the pedestal at the center.

"H-Hang on, it could be dangerous!" I said, going after her. Once we both approached the pedestal, I got a good look at this so called relic. It was a golden genie lamp. A very ornate golden lamp, to add. It was encrusted with purple jewels, and it glittered in the light of the torches. I carefully reached out to touch it, as if it would attack me. But nothing happened. I picked up the lamp carefully, observing it.

"You think there's a genie in there? Or some kind of magic?!" Rotty asked with an excited tone. I stared down the lamp, looking at my own reflection. I didn't know why, but it made me feel uneasy.

"I'm not sure, but I'd rather not play with it until we know what it is." I said. "We should try to figure that out first..."

"Alright, sounds good to me. But how will we figure that out? This place looks... _old."_ She said, looking around the room we were in. I thought about it for a few moments. There was something that bothered me.

"I think we can figure something out in the library." I said. "That stone guardian from earlier...it looked like one of the palace guards, didn't it?"

Rotty rubbed her chin. Then her eyes lit up with realization. "Hey, yeah! You're right!" She said. "You think this lamp has something to do with the palace?"

"I'm not sure. But the librarian mentioned we could find information on relics there..I bet we could figure it out if we ask him about it. He might be able to give us the right kind of book." I suggested. I put the lamp in my bag, securing it. Since the Stone Knight was vanquished, it was best not to leave it for those Baron's to take, just in case they figured out a way to get past the debris.

I glanced over to the gate. It was completely blocked off. Rotty gasped dramatically. "How are we gonna get out of here!" She asked.

"No worries. Every dungeon room has some sort of quick exit." I said, looking around. Then I spotted a ladder on the other side of the room. "See, there it is!"

"We're _trapped_ down here!" Rotty said. She was clearly being dramatic. I simply rolled my eyes. "I can already feel it getting hot in here! We need to take our clothes off to survive!" She said, suddenly grabbing my shirt, trying to pull it off.

"H-Hey, watch it!" I protested. Rotty let go of me and laughed. I must have been blushing.

"I'm sorry, I just like to tease you. I love how you can be cute and handsome at the same time, Y/N~" She said with delight, smiling at me. I smiled back, but then I remembered something. There was something I wanted to ask her about.

"Rotty..." I looked at her with a curious expression. "Who is Sam?"

"Sam?" Rotty asked me with a confused tone. But then realization slowly started to show in her eyes. She looked down. "Sam...I...I know that name..." She said. I put my hand on her shoulder, rubbing it. I think I started to understand a little, but I wasn't sure.

"Sam...was the one in your dreams, wasn't it?" I asked. Rotty looked at me and nodded.

"I think so, yeah..." She said. "That dream I kept having...I think he was trying to save me..I couldn't move, just like then, with Hypno Baron's glue..." She mumbled. It started to come together, but I started to think that maybe it was best not to pursue the meaning of this dream further. I remembered the look of fear she had when she called me Sam. That dream must have actually been a nightmare. A memory of when she _died._

 _That would explain why she didn't pull her legs off to escape,_ I thought. _She was having a flashback._

I could see the worry in Rotty's face. She didn't seem to remember the entire event, but she must have been thinking the same thing I was. I needed to comfort her. "Hey, it's fine. We made it." I said. "And right now, that's all that matters."

Rotty looked up to me. She stared in my eyes for a moment, before nodding. "R-Right. We're safe." She said. "And we should focus on figuring out what that lamp actually is." She began to walk towards the ladder, and I followed. I started to think that this memory was probably a dangerous one. Maybe it was best to distract her from it? How would I even do that, now that we were so deep into it?

We began climbing the ladder, going up one step at a time. It led straight to the surface, right through a manhole. Rotty pushed it out of the way, blinding us with the sudden sunlight that beamed down at us. We climbed out of the manhole, and put the cover back on. Our eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun, and we found ourselves back on the street right outside of the Sequin Palace.

"Wha- SERIOUSLY?!" Rotty exclaimed. "There was a manhole that went straight to the relic this whole time?! What was the point of all that?! What if the Barons decided to just take this manhole and got the relic before us?!"

"I don't think that was ever a problem." I said. "Usually these are only for exits. There's no way inside."

"What are you talking about?" Rotty asked me, confused. "The manhole is right—" She pointed down at our feet as she spoke, but when she glanced down, she realized that it was gone. There was nothing beneath us but the concrete road. She stared in disbelief. "—here...where did..?"

"That's just how the universe is." I said simply. "I learned that a few weeks ago."

"Oh." Rotty said with a blank expression. "Well, no shit.."

"Yup." I replied. There was a few moments of awkward silence before I grabbed Rotty's arm. It was _my_ turn to pull her along now. "Let's get a move on! The day is almost over!" I said, glancing at the sun. It was still bright out, but it was getting close to the horizon, meaning that dusk was approaching.

I led her towards the entrance of the palace. The same guard from before was at the entrance. I thought he would let us in again, but he stepped in front of us, blocking the entrance once more.

"Sorry, but I can't let anyone in." The guard said.

"Wha- what's with all this prejudice?!" Rotty complained. "I thought we had an understanding!"

"It's not about you this time." The guard explained. "Not too long after you guys left, some skeleton warriors got inside the palace. There were a lot of them this time. It was a hard battle, but we managed to defeat them all with no casualties. The Sultana ordered the palace to be evacuated, just in case."

I looked around. Now that he mentioned it, I noticed a lot of people were hanging around outside. There were a lot more guards standing by, as well. Probably to protect all the people standing around. "I see...where's the Sultana now?" I asked.

"Secured in a safe room." The guard replied. "We have it handled. I just can't let anybody in...I'm sorry." He said. Then he looked down at me. I must have looked beaten up, because I saw his eyes widen with surprise through his helmet. "What happened with you? Did you get attacked by skeletons?"

I shook my head. "Worse. In fact, I know where the skeletons came from. Hypno Baron was here." I said. The guard's surprise showed in his eyes. He leaned in closer to hear me better.

"Hypno Baron?" He repeated. "That would explain the skeletons. He must have been summoning them..but where is he now?" He asked.

"He was underground..." Rotty replied. "He was going after some sort of hidden relic, but we beat him! Do you know anything about a relic?" She asked.

The guard shook his head. "Not the slightest clue. The only thing down there are little snake monsters, as far as I know." He said. "But if you beat Hypno Baron, he probably fled by now, meaning the skeletons will stop attacking.." He reached behind him, grabbing something from his pocket. Then he handed me two potions. "I can't let you in, but I hope these can repay you for your heroic act. You saved the palace. Thank you."

I took the potions. "Thank you so much..this is just what I needed!" I said. I handed one of them to Rotty, and popped the lid off of mine. I downed the whole bottle, and within seconds the pain from my back and arm disappeared. I felt like I could take on the world again. Not literally, of course.

"Thank you so much!" Rotty said, after drinking the potion I handed her. "I hate to ask you of anything else, but is the Librarian around here?" She asked.

The guard nodded. "He should be. I saw him standing out around the side of the palace over there a few minutes ago." He pointed to his left, towards a small crowd of people.

"That's great!" Rotty said, grabbing onto my arm. "Let's go talk to him. Thank you so much, guard guy!" She said, pulling me away.

"O-Of course! Again, thank you both!" The guard replied, waving us farewell. Rotty continued to pull me towards where the guard had pointed us. We began to move past the crowd of people, trying our best not to bump into anybody too much. If I ended up falling and breaking the lamp, it could end in catastrophe.

"That guard was very nice! I totally misjudged him!" Rotty said.

I smiled. "I agree. He was very helpful."

As we moved past the crowd, we spotted him. The short old man known as the Librarian. We started to approach him. He saw us coming and smiled at us. "Oh, hello kids! Back so soon?" He greeted.

"Hello sir. We actually had a question regarding something we, uh, found..." I started to say, opening my bag.

"Oh really? I'm not an expert in trinkets, but I'll do my best!" The Librarian answered, looking at my bag with curiosity. I pulled the lamp out, trying not to show it off to anyone standing around us. The Librarian observed it for a few moments, pondering it. But then, his eyes widened with shock. His smile faded. "W-Where did you kids find that?!" He asked.

I looked at Rotty. We both shared a look of concern. I looked back at the old man. "We..we found it in the sewers beneath the palace...Hypno Baron was trying to get it, but we got it first..."

"H-Hypno Baron?!" The Librarian stuttered. "This is worse than I thought...you kids must get rid of this horrid thing immediately!" He said with horror. I blinked, totally stunned by his sudden worry.

"W-What is it?!" I asked. I had to admit, I was starting to get scared.

The old man stroked his beard. "I knew this day would come...the rest of the council wouldn't listen, but I knew it..." He looked back up to me and Rotty. "That lamp...it has the ability to trap and release magic at the will of the user. It's a very powerful genie relic!" He said.

Rotty blinked. "Wait, I knew I recognized it! Shantae used one just like it when she lost her powers! That thing wasn't _that_ bad, was it? It even turned all of that dark magic into good magic!"

The old man nodded. "Right, it's exactly like that. But it works the opposite way..." He said. "That lamp turns all magic into dark magic!"

Both me and Rotty were stunned. This entire day we had been hunting down this relic...and it turned out that it was actually _evil._ "S-So this thing is dangerous?!" I stuttered. I quickly stuffed it back in my bag. I was too afraid to even touch it now. "C-Can we destroy it?!"

"No...it already contains too much dark magic. If it were released, it could attract evil right to Scuttle Town. No, you must get rid of it..." He said. "You must drop it in the ocean as quickly as possible. It's the only way to keep it out of the hands of evil for good!"

I blinked. "Wait, it's that easy?" I said. "How come that hasn't been done already?"

The Librarian sighed. "That was what I wanted to do with it. But the rest of the council already decided to keep it in proximity long ago..they thought that if they ever needed, they could use the magic to defend Sequin Land. But I knew it was a doomed plan...someone would figure it out eventually, no matter how much effort we went through the keep it a secret..."

"Why is it always stupid people in power making dumb decisions?!" Rotty complained. "This thing needs to be gotten rid of _now!"_

The Librarian managed to chuckle slightly. "Ha...I'm glad to see the youth realizing what the right thing to do is..." He said. Then he looked at me. "Will you do it?"

I looked back at him with a determined look. "Yes." I said. "We'll go to Sky's place and have her fly us over the ocean. We'll go out far and drop it. That way, nobody can get it."

The old man sighed. "Thank you, young man. I may be able to sleep soundly after all..." He said. "Now go! You must hurry!"

I looked back at Rotty. She nodded to me. "Lead the way, handsome." She said. I smirked a little, and we both turned around, running towards the forest. We ran, knowing that we had to get rid of this thing. There was still a chance Hypno Baron and Squid Baron might be chasing us. We had to hurry.

 _Man, I hope Shantae had it easy right now._


	21. Chapter 21: The Genie Lamp

Me and Rotty ran through the forest, running into no monsters whatsoever. We ran through the tunnel, this time avoiding the hidden trap hole that led to Tuki's shop. As much as a nice relaxing boobjob sounded, Now was not the time. We reached Scarecrow Fields, rushing past all the scarecrows that threw firebombs at us. It was a little hard to get past them at some points, but since they were so slow, it wasn't impossible. Eventually, we reached Scuttle Town. We both rushed down the road, making a few turns until we got to Sky's Hatchery. We hurried inside, and sure enough, Sky was there. I couldn't help but think about how much larger her hatchery had gotten within the past few weeks. She wasn't kidding when she said that it was growing. And it was only getting bigger.

Sky turned around to look at us. Her expression was blank. I panted hard, tired and sweating from the run we had just gone through. Rottytops was right behind me, bending over with her hands on her knees. She was just as exhausted.

"S-Sky!" I started. "We need you to—"

Before I could finish, Sky immediately punched me in the face. _Hard._ She absolutely _decked_ me. I fell backwards, landing on my ass. I put my hand over my nose, groaning. "O-Ow!" I complained. "What the hell was that for?!"

Sky looked down at me. She looked _really_ pissed, which was never a good sign for me. "Where the fuck have you been all day?!" She yelled. "I thought you were coming in for work this weekend! I needed your help, asshole!!" At first, I didn't understand what she was talking about. But then I remembered. She was telling me about how she was expecting a lot of eggs to hatch today, and she would need my help taking care of the newborns. I had agreed to help her last week, despite my usual schedule of not working on weekends.

I felt terrible. "Oh shit, Sky, I'm so sorry!" I said. "I totally forgot! Something came up, and—"

Sky looked up at Rotty, before interrupting me. "Wait, what's Rotty doing with you..? Oh my god, are you guys on a date?!" She said. She looked at me with a murderous look. "I thought you were with Shantae...you asshole...I knew you were good for nothing..."

I could hear Wrench cawing from across the Hatchery. I suddenly felt fearful for my life. Luckily, Rotty spoke up. "Shantae wanted us to spend time today! Since she would be gone, she thought it would be a good for me so I can remember my past. You took her to our mansion this morning, right?" She explained.

Sky's look of murder left her face. She calmed down, sighing shortly. "I did." She said. "But she hasn't come back yet...Wrench hasn't heard her whistle." She explained. I started to stand up, worried about what Sky just said.

"She hasn't come back?" I asked. Hypno Baron wasn't there, but he would have surely left something for Shantae to fight to buy time. "I hope she's fine..."

"Don't worry Y/N!" Rotty said. "Hypno Baron was never there to begin with! She's probably just taking her time to make sure the mansion is clear! And if there's anything else there, she can handle it!" She put her hand on my shoulder. I sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right..." I said. "Thanks, Rotty."

"Wait, Hypno Baron isn't at the mansion?" Sky asked curiously. "Then where is he?" Sky asking that reminded me why we came in the first place.

"He was underground near Sequin Palace." I said. "He was trying to get an evil relic hidden there. We beat him, but there's nothing guarding it anymore...we have to get rid of it." I opened my bag, and pulled out the lamp for Sky to see.

"Woah." She said, scanning the lamp. "Kinda looks like the one Risky used to steal Shantae's genie powers..."

 _Risky did what now?_

"That's what I said!" Rotty exclaimed. "But it's not the same one...this one is filled with dark, evil magic!"

Sky's eyes widened. "W-Why the hell did you bring it here then?!" She questioned. It was a perfectly reasonable question, I had to admit.

"Like I said, there's nothing to stop anyone from taking it. The guardian was vanquished, leaving it vulnerable." I said. "The Librarian told us that we need to drop it in the ocean...can you fly us out so we can get rid of it?"

Sky thought to herself for a moment. Then, she answered. "If I do, you have to work all day tomorrow. I managed to get by today, but I can't let that get by no matter what!" She poked my chest. She definitely held a grudge, but I didn't mind. I was just glad she was agreeing to do this for us. That, and that she wasn't sending Wrench after me to pluck my eyes out.

"O-Of course! No problem, boss!" I said, nodding. Sky sighed, then held her arm out and whistled. Wrench landed on her arm, stretching his wings out. I had the weird feeling that he was showing off to intimidate me. That bird never liked me. He would always try to bite me whenever I tried to clean his feathers.

"Alright..so we just have to fly you guys far out towards the ocean and you just drop that thing?" She asked.

"Yup! Easy peasy!" Rotty replied, giving a thumbs up.

"Alright, it's a deal then...MEGA-WRENCH METAMORPHOSIS!" Sky called. Wrench flew towards the center of the room, before growing in size in an instant with a large puff of pink smoke. I never truly understood how it was possible that he could do that. But I wouldn't question it, for the sake of convenience. Sky climbed onto Wrench, getting seated on his back before reaching her hand down. "Come on, I don't have all night! Shantae might call any minute now!" Sky said.

I nodded, before putting the lamp securely in my bag. I took Sky's hand, and climbed onto Wrench, sitting behind Sky. Then I held my hand down, helping Rotty onto the large bird. She sat down behind me. She hugged her arms tightly around my body, rubbing her hands over me teasingly. "Hey handsome." She whispered in my ear. I blushed deeply from the feeling of her blowing air against my ear. She must have been doing that on purpose.

"Hmph. Asshole..." Sky muttered. She must have heard Rotty whisper. "Let's go, Wrench!"

The large bird cawed powerfully, flapping his wings quickly. He raised off the ground slowly, before suddenly taking off through the open roof of the Hatchery. We soared through the sky as Scuttle Town became a blur behind us. In truth, I had started to enjoy flying on Wrench now. The first time I flew, I was horribly traumatized. But now, it felt so nice to have the wind rushing through my hair. I felt... _free._

 _I came to understand why Sky loved this so much._

Wrench continued to fly out into the open seas, hovering right above the flat waters. We moved past the water so fast that I couldn't even see the water rolling. It was all just a blur. I almost reached out to touch the water before thinking that it might just yank me right off of Wrench. I decided not to take that chance. After flying for what felt like five or ten minutes, Sky patted Wrenched feathers, and he began to slow down into a peaceful glide. She turned around to look at us. "Well, let's get rid of that thing." She said.

I blinked at her. "You really think we're far out enough? Already?" I questioned.

Sky only laughed. "You really doubt me and Wrench? Trust me. No way is that lamp gonna wash up on any shore out here. It'll be at the bottom of the ocean, where nothing will touch it."

"If you say so..." I said. I carefully took out the lamp from my bag. Now that I knew what it contained, I could almost feel the dark aura that came from the lamp. It was intimidating. _Scary,_ even. I felt a little nervous. But then I breathed in the ocean air through my nose, and felt calm again. I turned around to Rotty, who gave me a sure look.

"Go ahead." She said.

I looked down at the water below us. This lamp was evil. I had to get rid of it for everyone's sake. And so, I held the lamp out, and dropped it gracefully from my hands. We were still flying moderately fast, and I was afraid it would float, but I was able to watch it for a few moments. It splashed into the water, slowly sinking below the surface. And just like that, it was over.

 _"Whew..."_ I sighed in relief. "Alright, that's done. Let's head back." I said.

"You got it." Sky replied, patting Wrench once more. He turned around, and flapped his wings to pick up speed once more. The fly back home was relieving. I watched the sun sink past the horizon as the sky turned orange. The sunset was wonderful from the view we had. The ocean water glittered so beautifully. I felt Rotty's hold on me tighten. She rested her head on my shoulder, looking out at the sunset. It was...intimate. I felt my heart race a little. Did I really feel this way for Rotty...?

 _What was I going to do?_

Eventually, we reached Scuttle Town. Wrench lowered through the Hatchery roof and landed on the ground. Rotty climbed off, followed by me. Sky hopped off right after, and then, in a puff of smoke, Wrench returned to normal size, flying up onto his perch above us. Sky looked at me. "There you have it! One evil lamp gone! Don't forget you're end of the deal, Y/N." Sky said, glaring at me. But I didn't feel scared from her look. I gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you, Sky. I really mean that." I said sincerely. I must have caught her off guard, because she didn't glare anymore. In fact, she even _blushed_ a little. She cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact with me.

"W-Whatever, jerk...you'll probably end up being late anyways..." She said. "You live in that newer house on Main Street, right? I'm gonna come to wake you up early in the morning, since you can't be trusted..." She said, her face turning even more red with each passing moment. I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll be sure to expect you then." I said with a smile. Rotty then grabbed my hand, pulling me to the exit.

"Bye Sky! Nice seeing you again!" Rotty called as we left her hatchery. I glanced up at the sky. The sun was now gone, and the night was here. I looked at Rotty, who wasn't looking back at me.

"Need me to walk you to the Zombie Caravan?" I asked. "I'm sure your brothers are waiting for you..."

"Actually...they're not..." Rotty mumbled. "I told them I might not come tonight...I was hoping I could spend the night at Shantae's, but she's not here right now..." She then looked up at me, blushing furiously. "Can I sleep at your house?"

I had to admit, Rotty looked _really_ cute when she blushed like that. I didn't know what would happen if I said yes, but I didn't think. I answered on impulse. "Yeah, sure thing." I said. Rotty smiled at me, before hugging my arm and leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Thanks, Handsome." She said softly as we started to head towards Main Street. We walked in silence, with nothing to pay much attention to except my beating heart.

 _I was about to have a really fun night._


	22. Chapter 22: A Pleasant Night

Once we finally arrived at my house, I opened the door to let Rotty in. Once we were inside, I closed the door behind us. Rotty started to look around the house curiously, which caused me to remember that Rotty had never actually seen it before. Once she got her fill, she looked at me with a grin.

"Wow. You risked your life at Tan Line Island for this dump?" She teased.

"Whatever. It's awesome." I replied, putting my hands on my hips and grinning. Rottytops laughed, but then she became quiet. She stepped towards me. Suddenly a whole different air filled the room. I recognized the feeling. I remembered having the same feeling when me and Shantae spent our first night together at her lighthouse. That could only mean that Rotty was about to say something...

"Ya know...I couldn't help but notice you only have one bed..." Rotty said, smiling at me knowingly. I blushed a little, rubbing the back of my neck.

"O-Oh, I haven't really thought about that..." I said. Rotty approached me and put her hand on my chest, gently pushing me into the wall. I looked at her, seeing the tint of lust in her eyes as she looked up and down my body.

"That's okay...we'll figure something out.." She cooed, before taking her top off suddenly. Her breasts came free, and I got a good look at them. Her skin was green, but her complexion was great. And her skin seemed so smooth and soft. I almost wanted to touch her and play with her perky breasts.

 _But I couldn't._

I looked at Rotty with an unsure look. "Rotty...I don't think we should do this..." I said.

Her look became a more sad one. "Is...is it because you don't love me..?" She asked quietly, pulling her hand away. But I grabbed it, holding it in my own.

"Rotty, I do love you. But I also love Shantae..." I said. "I can't do that to her...it's not right..." I couldn't help but feel the way I feel. I only wished I could have them _both._

Rotty blushed a little, before looking at the ground. "B-But she said to treat me like you'd treat her...she also said not to hold back...I'm sure she would want us to do this.."

I thought about it for a moment. While it was true, there was something else about the situation that bothered me. "Rotty, what if this memory...ends up being a bad one?" I asked. "What if it's best for you to forget it? What if it was _changes_ you?"

Rotty squeezed my hand. "After you saved me in the sewers, I thought the same thing." She confessed. "I have to admit..I'm scared. I'm not sure if it's a memory of me dying, or if it's a memory of this Samperson dying..." Then she put my hand on her breast, making me feel her soft skin. It didn't feel different from a human's at all. I knew that, since she made me feel them back at Tan Line Island, but it still surprised me.

"But that's why I need this!" Rotty said. "I don't want to remember anymore! I don't want to remember Sam! I want to remember _you!"_ Her eyes began to tear up a little. "I didn't tell you before, but...me and this guy... _Sam..._ I don't think we ever made love..because I'm actually a _virgin.."_ She admitted. _That_ surprised me. She seemed like she would be the last person to be a virgin. I didn't expect that from her at all.

"Which is why..." She ran her hands up my body, rubbing my shoulders slightly. "I think this will help me forgethim..." I didn't expect Rottytops to get so emotional, but I understood. This whole thing must have been scary for her. Maybe she was right? What if being intimate with her would help her forget? Would it really be okay then?

"Rotty..." I mumbled.

Before anything else could happen, the door suddenly opened wide. Both me and Rotty looked with shocked expressions. Standing there was none other than Shantae herself. She crossed her arms. "What, am I interrupting?" She asked.

Rotty looked around for her top after I pulled my hand away from her breast. My face was pale with surprise. "S-Shantae!" I said. "This is just—"

"Don't, it's okay. I heard everything." Shantae interrupted. She came inside, closing the door behind her. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised. I thought you guys would do it sooner than this, but Sky told me everything. You guys have been busy, huh?"

I stared at her blankly. "Wait, you _expected_ us to have sex?" I asked. Even Rotty seemed surprised, despite claiming to think that herself a few moments before.

"Well, yeah...I told you not to hold back, right?" Shantae said. "But honestly, now I'm glad I made it before anything happened...I didn't realize Rotty remembering this memory would be so troublesome...she's right though, this might be the way for her to forget it."

Rotty suddenly stomped her foot. "Then why did you barge in?!" She said. "Things were about to get good! We were about to get our _fuck_ on!" I was stunned by this entire situation. I felt like the control was completely out of my hands at this point. But nothing would prepare me for what I heard Shantae said next.

"Oh, I know." Shantae said. "I heard you guys. But I got jealous, so I changed my mind. I'm gonna join you in."

Both me and Rotty were silent. My jaw hung open. Did she really just say that? My disbelief was quelled when Shantae suddenly took her top off. Her mocha skinned breasts bounced free. They were larger than Rotty's. I was able to make that comparison now that they were both topless in front of me. Shantae started to undo her ponytail, letting her hair down. "Now, let's get our _fuck_ on, shall we~?" She cooed, as she took her pants off, leaving her in just her panties. Rotty's confused expression suddenly became a lustful one as they both looked at me.

 _Pinch me now, because I must be dreaming._

The two girls suddenly attacked me, pulling me towards the bed and pulling my shirt off somewhere along the way. I showed little resistance, however. If this was really happening, I was completely down for it. The two most beautiful girls I knew wanted to have sex with me. I would have to be an absolute dumbass to say no.

Rotty's hands felt up my body, sending chills down my spine as Shantae played with my pants. She chuckled. "Wait until you see this, Rotty..." She said softly. Rotty looked towards my crotch with curiousity, and watched as Shantae pulled my pants and boxers down quickly. My dick, which had already gotten hard in no time whatsoever, sprung free. Rotty's eyes suddenly glimmered with surprise.

"Oh my god! It's huge!" She gasped in awe. I blushed intensely from that exclamation.

Shantae wrapped her fingers around my dick, slowly stroking it. "I know, right? I was surprised the first time I saw it too..." She continued to jerk me off as Rotty watched. "Are you going to do something, Rotty?"

"I..." Rotty blushed a little. "I haven't done...anything like this before..." She admitted. "I'm good at flirting, but I never got this far with anyone..."

 _Didn't she say she did it with Tuki?_ I thought. _Does she mean she never did this with a guy?_

Shantae smiled a little. "That's okay. Let me show you what Y/N really likes then..." She said. Then, without warning, she leaned down and took my cock in her mouth, wasting no time to start sucking on it. I grunted in surprise, blushing madly. Mainly because Rotty was staring at Shantae sucking my dick. Her warm mouth sending shockwaves through my entire body was a feeling I could never get over. Shantae began to bob her head, sucking hard on my cock for a short while. Then, she released my dick with a quiet _'pop'_ sound. She glides her tongue over my shaft, giving the tip a short lick before pulling her head away.

"Now you try, Rotty." Shantae said. Rotty blinked before looking at me. Then she leaned down, hesitating before giving the tip a small kiss. She stared at it for a moment before slowly slipping my dick between her lips, sucking slightly. Shantae's hand ran up and down my chest, feeling me up while Rotty sucked me off hesitantly. She wasn't a pro, but she was better than I thought she would be. The hesitation soon left Rotty, and she became more intense, bobbing her head up and down. I felt her tongue swirling around the tip, and moaned in response.

"Thish dick tashtes _sho goood~!"_ Rotty moaned with a mouthful of cock. All her initial inhibitions were now lost. She was now going all in on her actions, sucking and moaning with no restraint.

"F-Fuck..." I moaned. Shantae smiled a little and brought her face close to my body, sliding her tongue across my chest. Between the both of them pleasuring me, I was starting to lose any inhibitions I was holding onto myself. My left hand moved to Shantae, running down her side and rubbing over her perfect ass. I only wished her panties weren't in the way. My right hand reached towards Rotty, running through her green hair.

Rotty gagged a little, but she didn't stop or pull away. She bobbed her head more, staring up at me. I was close to cumming, and she was showing no signs of stopping. "R-Rotty, I'm going to cum.." I warned. Rotty slowed down for a moment, but only to speak, although it only came out as mumbles. She practically refused to release my dick from her mouth.

"Mm...I want it _all~"_ Rotty said, before picking up her pace again. I couldn't take it anymore. With Shantae teasing me with her tongue and Rotty indulging herself with my dick, it was _really_ hard to keep myself from blowing. Eventually, it became impossible to hold it any longer. My muscles flexed and my body arched slightly as I came, filling Rotty's mouth. Her eyes widened with surprise. She was about to pull off, but Shantae put her hand on her head, stopping her.

"He likes it better when you swallow..." She said quietly. I couldn't remember if I ever told Shantae that or not, but I didn't say anything to protest. Rotty looked unsure for a moment, but she closed her eyes, swallowing it all before pulling her mouth away from my dick. She coughed a little before looking up to me.

"Did that...feel good..?" She asked. I was panting, still coming down from the feeling I had. I nodded to her, and she began to grin. "I knew I would be good at this." She said. "Now, I think it's time we move on to the main course!" She began to pull her shorts off, but before she could take off her panties, Shantae stopped her.

"N-Not so fast, Rotty!" She said. "You got your turn..it's my turn now!" Shantae started to take off her panties, now being completely naked. She began to climb over me, looking down at me as her hair fell down into my face. "You're still okay to go, right?"

I grinned at her. "I'm always ready to go." I said, putting my hands on her hips. Shantae smiled, before shifting her position. She reached down, grabbing my dick to hold it up so she could position herself over it. She slowly began to lower herself, watching as my dick slowly entered her. She gasped a little.

"I still...can't..take it all at once..." She mumbled quietly, trying her best not to let out any sounds. She was so cute like that, but I wanted to hear those sounds. So I gripped her hips a little, before suddenly pulling her down, shoving my dick further into her. She let out a loud moan in response, looking up with a surprised look.

"Y-Y-You j-jerk.." She stammered, her body shaking slightly. I laughed a little before reaching up to touch her face.

"Sorry, but I just wanted to see how you'd react...you're so erotic, Shantae..." I said.

Shantae smiled again. Meanwhile, Rotty was sitting right beside us on the bed, with crossed legs and crossed arms. She was pouting. "It's no fair.." She mumbled. Shantae smirked a little, then started to bounce herself up and down. The bed shook as she moved, squeaking noisily. She moaned uncontrollably as she bounced on my dick.

"Fuck~! Yes~!" Shantae moaned. "I've been~! Waiting all day~! For this~! Ah~!" Her breasts bounced in front of me, only arousing me even more. I reached up and began to grope them, causing Shantae to moan in response. Rotty was watching intently, her face flushing red as she watched Shantae devolve into a moaning mess. Rotty heaved a little, and I saw her hand slowly slip down between her legs, slipping into her panties. She touched herself as she watched, with stifled moans escaping her lips. Shantae didn't seem to notice _or_ care. She was too focused on her own pleasure.

I decided to take some action. I grabbed Shantae's shoulders and pulled her down into me, so that our bodies were pressed together. I repositioned my legs so my knees were bent and my feet were planted. Both of my hands reached down to grasp onto her ass.

Shantae panted a little before speaking. "Y/N...what are yo- _Ah~!!"_ I interrupted her by suddenly beginning to thrust my hips, _hard._ I showed no mercy as I fucked Shantae in that position. She moaned uncontrollably, with her eyes wide open. "Oh god~! Yes~!!" She yelled erotically, her arms suddenly wrapping around my neck and head tightly as she held on for dear life. Rotty was breathing harder. I glanced over to see her touching herself and licking her own fingers. It was almost like she was in a trance watching us.

"Oh my god~! I'm cumming~! _Cumming~!!"_ Shantae yelled, her fingers clawing at my hair as her entire body tensed up. I began to feel myself getting close as well. My fingers dug into her skin as I reached my limit, cumming while still inside of Shantae. She moaned out in ecstasy, before falling limp on top of me. We both panted hard for a little bit, before Rotty broke the silence.

"Okay! You had your fun! It's my turn now!" She complained. Shantae, after catching her breath, rolled off of me and laid on the bed, still coming back down from her orgasm. I started to sit up, looking at Rotty. She laid down on her back right beside Shantae as I got close to her. I raised her legs into the air, slipping her panties off before tossing them aside. She set her legs back down, before spreading them open for me. I ran my hand down her body, before rubbing my fingers over her pussy. She was very wet from watching us have sex. I played with her clit a little, causing Rotty to moan quietly. "Q-Quit teasing me, jerk..."

I laughed a little. "Sorry, I just needed a few moments to catch my breath...but I'm ready now..." I said, positioning myself over her.

Rotty glanced away with an embarrassed look. "Just..start gentle, okay?" She said quietly.

I looked down at her to get a good look of her body. Her skin was green, but other than they few sutures here and there, it was almost flawless. Her breasts may not have been as large as Shantae's, but they were still perky. I put my hands on both of her hips, pressing the tip of my cock against her pussy. She was so tight it took a little more force just to push the tip in. As soon as her lips spread, Rotty gasped in surprise. She grasped her hands over mine, grunting and hissing in pain as I pushed into her a little more. I stopped moving for a moment, looking down at her. "Are you okay, Rotty?"

She bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowing a little. But she nodded. "I-I'm fine, it just...it hurts a bit...like I said, I've never...done this before...I'm a virgin, remember?" She said, looking away.

I grinned a little. "I thought you said you did it with Tuki though..." I teased.

She blushed, puffing her cheeks. "I did! But she never... _penetrated_ me...and your dick is so big, it's already hurting..." She said. I leaned towards her a little, and placed my hand on her cheek. She looked up at me with a surprised, blushing face.

"I'll be careful." I said. "It'll hurt, but after I move for a little bit, it'll feel really good, okay?" I reassured. Rotty thought to herself for a moment before nodding. She smiled.

"Okay...I'm ready..." She said. "Show me what you got, handsome..."

I began to push my cock deeper into her. She yelled in pain, gripping my wrists tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. I kept going deeper inside her until I couldn't go any further. I stayed like that for a short moment, giving her time to adjust. Then I started to move my hips, keeping my movement slow. She grunted with every move of my hips, looking down to watch my cock leave and enter her pussy.

She was _really_ tight. It was like she was pulling on me with every thrust I did. But it didn't bother me. And it didn't seem to bother Rotty as much anymore, either. Her pained look was fading. She looked up at me, with a small, nervous smile. "I-It's almost starting to f-feel good..." She said quietly, biting her lip to hold in a moan.

"Almost?" I questioned. "Don't worry about that, sweetheart. I haven't started for real yet. Think you're ready for that?"

Rotty grinned a little. "Try me."

 _She was going to either regret this, or enjoy it._

I started to thrust faster. Whatever moan she was hiding was let out instantly in response. Her eyes shot wide open as I picked up the pace. I put my hand against the bed beside her, and watched her as she began to turn into a moaning mess. She wasn't uncomfortable or pained anymore. She had a more ecstatic look now.

"H-Holy shit~!" She moaned. "T-This feels- so good~!" Her hands clasped onto my wrists tightly. The bed rocked every time I slapped against her, skin to skin. Rotty panted and moaned, as her legs began to wrap themselves around my waist tightly. She gave me a lewd smile. "G-Give me _more~!"_ She begged.

I did as she asked and thrusted harder, forcing another surprised moan out of her. As I was fucking her, Shantae moved her hands to touch Rotty's body. I had forgotten about Shantae, but she had been watching this whole time. Rotty glanced at her as soon as her hands touched her body. "S-Shantae, what are you—" She started, before Shantae's hand lowered down to where my dick was entering her. She rubbed Rotty's clitoris, interrupting Rotty and making her moan loudly. "S-S-Shantae, don't touch me- _Ah~!!_ -there~!" She begged. But she didn't do anything to stop her, so Shantae's endeavors went unchallenged.

I was watching her so intently that I almost started to slow down. Seeing Shantae touch Rotty's body in such a lewd manner captivated me. It almost made me think of when Tuki mentioned them 'sharing bodies.' Of course, I was so distracted by the feeling of fucking Rottytops that the thought passed by quickly. In fact, the feeling was getting more intense. I could feel the pleasure building up inside of me. By the way Rotty was moaning, I could tell she was feeling the same way.

"Ah~! Fuck~! Oh~!" Rotty moaned, unable to string a proper sentence together. "Cumming~! I'm~! Please~! More~!" Shantae smiled, before kissing Rotty's breast, continuing to rub her clit as I thrusted my dick inside of her. Rotty's entire body shook and twitched from the stimulation she was receiving. I felt her tighten up as she quickly reached her limit. Between me and Shantae, it was understandable that Rotty couldn't hold it in very long. With a loud moan, Rotty's feelings exploded, her orgasm being powerful enough to send her straight to cloud nine. I was following close behind. She was so tight that it was hard to hold it in for very long. I felt my lower body swell up with an intense feeling that was all too familiar with me, and as I thrusted into her one last time, I released that feeling and came inside of her, filling her womb up to the brim.

Rotty laid there on the bed, panting hard as she came down from her orgasm. Her body was sweaty and her mind was clouded. She almost seemed lost in her pleasure until Shantae snapped her out of it. "Rotty, are you okay?" She asked.

 _"Huff...huff..._ never...better~..." Rotty replied with a happy smile.

Shantae laid down beside Rotty, looking at her intently. "How do you feel? Do you...remember anything?" She asked curiously.

Rotty rubbed her chin, thinking to herself. "I don't..think so..." She said. "...In fact, I don't feel anything..it's like the memory that was creeping up on me is gone now..."

"That's good then, right? That means that the memory won't haunt you anymore?" Shantae asked intently. Her concern showed in her voice.

Rotty shrugged. "I don't think so, but I guess I'll just have to go to sleep and find out, right?" She said. "I'm really tired anyways, I can't wait to sleep.."

"Not so fast." I said suddenly. Both of them looked at me with sudden surprise. I was still sitting up. And sure enough, I was still hard as a rock. "You think that was enough to satisfy me? Between the both of you? No, we're not done yet. The night is still young." I grinned.

Both of them looked at me with both lust and fear. _Was that even possible for a mixed reaction?_

"S-Shantae, I'm scared..." Rotty squeaked, smiling nervously.

"I think we're gonna have to get used to it, Rotty..." Shantae chuckled, though it was a small, nervous chuckle. "Oh well..." She suddenly spread her legs open for me. "I'll take care of you, Y/N..."

"M-Me too!" Rotty said, playing with her breasts to entice me. "I'll take care of you as well~!" She was now filled with energy again.

I felt my lust for the both of them grow. There was no way I could hold back now. And so, I indulged myself with their bodies, not stopping until I was completely satisfied. I eventually lost track of time on how long we were doing it for, but it was definitely a long time, because as soon as we finished, we passed out on the bed, in a mess of our own sweat. I slept better than I ever had in my life.

 ** _KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK._**

I woke up suddenly, quietly groaning at the sudden loud noises that echoed throughout my house. As I shifted my position, I felt two bodies beside me. I glanced on both sides to see Rottytops and Shantae, both holding onto me lovingly. They were still asleep, and both still naked. _I_ was still naked. I rubbed my eyes a little, glancing around the house. Only a little sunlight was coming in, which meant it was early morning. But after the long night we had, what caused me to wake up so early...?

 ** _KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK._**

"Y/N? Are you awake?" A muffled voice called through the door. I groaned once more, feeling the need to fall asleep again. I just hoped whoever it was would go away. Who could possibly be at my door so early in the—

 _Sky._

"Your door is unlocked, so I'm coming in!" Sky called. I heard the doorknob turn, and I suddenly sat up from bed, looking at the front door with wide eyes. "No, don't—!"

 _Too late._ Sky opened the door and stepped inside. She looked at me with pure shock. Since my house was small, with no walls to separate any of the rooms, there was no chance in hiding as soon as Sky came inside. She saw _everything._ At that point, both Shantae and Rotty were waking up, mumbling softly and rubbing their eyes. As soon as Shantae saw Sky, she gasped in shock and pulled the covers up to conceal her nude body. Rotty sat up, still half asleep. She looked at Sky, and then smiled casually. "Oh, hey Sky." She mumbled lazily.

Sky's shocked face soon turned into an angry frown. I wasn't sure how she would respond, but I knew it would end in Wrench eating my limbs one way or another. "You...damn... _ASSHOLE_..." Sky grumbled angrily.

"S-Sky, hang on! I-I can explain..!" Shantae begged. "I-It's complicated!"

"That's it! I've had it with this shit!" Sky yelled. She came stomping towards the bed. I thought she would kill me, but instead, she starting to take her clothes off, starting with her top. "I have no idea what the big deal is about you, but I'm getting to the bottom of it! Let's just see what's so great about you!"

I was stunned. How could I respond to that? As soon as her top came off, her breasts bounced free. They were large, only to be rivaled by Shantae's. I stared at them for a moment before noticing that she began to climb onto the bed, crawling towards me. "You better be a good lay, douche. Otherwise, I'm killing you..." Sky said. As threatening as that was, she couldn't hide the intense blush from her face. Before I could protest, both Shantae and Rotty placed their hands over my chest in unison, pulling me down. I looked at both of them. Shantae's embarrased expression turned into a lustful one. Rotty's expression didn't change much, but she licked her lips sexually, looking at me with cloudy eyes. I didn't have much say in the matter. But I wasn't going to complain.

This was my life now. Time to get used to it, because from this point on, it would only get more crazy for me, in ways that I couldn't possible expect.

 _It's not like I'm complaining, anyways._


End file.
